Finn Azaz: It was always Ireland. It’s always been a goal of mine to play for Ireland

Twenty minutes had barely passed since the moment he’d been waiting for his whole life, as the 23-year-old stepped onto the Lansdowne Road turf to replace Josh Cullen in the final stages.

He’s not the only sportsman in the family however. His paternal relations hail from Cork, a county where his great uncle Brian Murphy achieved extraordinary success winning three All-Ireland hurling titles and one in football, while the four-time All-Star also helped Nemo to four All-Ireland football crowns and six Munster Championships.

While Murphy reached remarkable heights at Croke Park in the 1970s and ’80s, across the Liffey at Lansdowne Road, his grand nephew is hoping that last Tuesday night is the first of many more appearances in the green shirt.

“It’s always been a goal for me. It’s a really proud moment for myself and my family,” said Middlesbrough’s Azaz, following Ireland’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Switzerland. “[I found out] literally five minutes before I came on. I’m still catching my breath, but the most important thing was that I was buzzing to get on the pitch and represent Ireland.

“My dad Tim was here. He grew up in Cork and went to school in Dublin. My family is down in Cork. My great uncle, Brian Murphy, if you look him up, he was a famous hurler and footballer. So it’s running in the family!”

Azaz is also eligible for Israel through his mother’s citizenship, but the midfielder insists he’s only ever had eyes for the Boys in Green. Having earned a single U-21 cap under Jim Crawford in September 2022, was Tuesday the first of many senior caps?

“I really hope so,” he smiles. “It was always Ireland. As a child I came here often obviously because of my dad. It’s always been a goal of mine to play for Ireland. There had just been a few conversations [about a call-up] before that. Just before the big qualifying game against Israel, I got the call from Jim.”

Having earned his maiden senior call-up earlier this month under John O’Shea, a former Man United team-mate of Azaz’s Boro boss Michael Carrick, the London-born player was particularly grateful to skipper Séamus Coleman for making him feel at home in camp.

“It’s been amazing. I want to say thank you to all the lads, to Séamus and all the staff for welcoming me into the group,” said Azaz. “Séamus sent me a message straight away when I got the call-up. I’ve been speaking to him, he’s been giving me advice and welcoming me.

“There’s a wide variety of players. Players I’ve played against and players in the Premier League. But the main thing – it’s just been an honour, even just to get the call-up. They [O’Shea and Carrick] had a few conversations, but it’s been a long-term journey for me. I doubt it’s just been from the move to Middlesbrough. I’ve been working very, very hard trying to get to where I am. I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully, there’ll be many more [caps] to come.”

Azaz cut his teeth at West Brom’s academy before securing a move to Aston Villa in 2021. Successful loan spells at Newport County and Plymouth Argyle followed before Middlesbrough swooped in January to snap the midfielder up on a four-and-a-half year deal. He’s impressed since, starting nine of their 12 Championship games to date as Carrick’s side chase a play-off spot.

“I feel like I’ve been slowly working up the leagues, just trying to prove myself. And yeah, this [first cap] is one of the major goals of that journey,” he added.

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