'My great uncle was a famous hurler' - Ireland's newest international

Ireland’s Finn Azaz comes on for his international debut.

FINN AZAZ was a proud man after making his Ireland debut on Tuesday night.

The 23-year-old made his international bow in the 87th minute, replacing Josh Cullen as Ireland desperately searched for a late equaliser against Switzerland.

Azaz inevitably struggled to make an impact during his limited time on the pitch but did get a brief glimpse at goal when he saw his shot on the edge of the area blocked.

Yet the Westminster-born midfielder insists he did not let the emotion of the occasion get to him.

“I was just thinking about my job. We were 1-0 down so I just wanted to make an impact and tried to help us get something out of the game,” he says.

Azaz had earned just one cap at any level for Ireland until now — he featured off the bench for Ireland U21s in 2022, when they lost a Euros qualification playoff on penalties against Israel.

While he insists his intention was always to play for Ireland, Azaz could have represented Israel internationally, as his mother’s side of the family come from there, while his father’s side are Irish.

His dad Tim, who grew up in Cork and went to school in Dublin, was at the Aviva to watch him on Tuesday.

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He is also not the only family member to have impacted the world of sport.

“My family is down in Cork. My great uncle, Brian Murphy, if you look him up, he was a famous hurler and dual with football. So it’s running in the family.”

Among countless other accolades, Murphy won four All-Ireland titles — three in hurling and one in football — and in a 2020 article in The Echo was described as “one of the Cork GAA’s greatest ambassadors on and off the field”.

Azaz continues: “I came often as a child to Ireland obviously because of my dad.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to play for Ireland and there had just been a few conversations before that. Just before the big qualifying game against Israel, I got the call from Jim [Crawford].”

In recent days, Azaz has been receiving encouragement and advice from skipper Seamus Coleman after realising another long-held ambition.

A high-profile move to Middlesbrough from Aston Villa in January likely boosted Azaz’s hopes of an international call-up.

However, the youngster is keen to emphasise that it has been a “long journey” for him.

He has played two seasons in League Two with Cheltenham Town and Newport County.

Last year, he helped Plymouth Argyle gain promotion from League One and he was loaned back to the Championship newcomers in the summer before sealing a permanent switch to Boro six months later.

Consequently, he has already made over 100 appearances in senior football.

At Plymouth, Azaz earned a reputation for scoring spectacular long-range goals.

This season in the Championship, he already has nine goals and six assists.

Since joining Michael Carrick’s side, he has had to be somewhat patient, with five of his 12 appearances coming from the bench.

“I think when the season ends I’ll be able to reflect a bit more just because I’ve changed club, I’ve had so many different things happen during the season, but I’ve really enjoyed it.”

As it stands, Middlesbrough are seven points off the playoffs, so it’s not inconceivable that he becomes a Premier League player next season. Such a feat would continue a remarkable run and mean he would have played in four divisions of English football in four seasons.

It would also add to the extended family’s already considerable sporting legacy.

For now, though, Azaz is keeping his feet on the ground.

“I’ll just keep working hard at club level and hopefully, there’ll be many more [caps] to come,” he concludes after a special night.