Andy Irving, the ‘Portobello Pirlo’, gives Scotland hope of a better future

At Tynecastle, they called him the Portobello Pirlo. The reference point – a high school and seaside hamlet in Edinburgh rather than a market in London – spoke to Andy Irving’s precocious talent as a 17-year-old first-team debutant.

Scotland’s under-16 squad for a tournament in Serbia eight years ago included Irving and a host of players who have vanished completely from view. There were fears Irving’s career may wilt. In the summer of 2021, his exit from Heart of Midlothian was met with shrugs after the club were unwilling to meet wage demands. This felt unsatisfactory; a boyhood supporter of the club, who played not only with grace and a left-footed passing range untypical in Scotland, was bound for Türkgücü München in Germany’s third tier.

Fast forward to October 2024 and Irving is a Premier League player, featuring for West Ham against Chelsea and Liverpool. On Friday, he boarded a flight to Croatia with the Scotland senior squad. The Porty Pirlo is back.

The most striking aspect of any conversation with people who know Irving is the esteem he is held in by coaches and peers. In what is a backbiting world, Irving is hugely popular. The sentiment of Robbie Horn, who took Irving on loan to Berwick Rangers in 2017, is typical. “He was only supposed to train with us on a Thursday night but he used to come down for the Tuesday sessions as well, just to be around the place and to be involved,” Horn recalls. “He probably wasn’t even allowed to train with us on a Tuesday, but he did. He had a real love for football. I left him out one week and he was straight in to ask what he should be doing better.

“Andy was a really nice lad with a fantastic attitude. He had clearly been brought up by a good family. I could never speak highly enough of him as a person. Even after he left, he would be sending me messages about how our games had gone and the other boys had got on. He showed that interest even after he left, so there were no airs and graces about him.

“Andy could easily have fallen out of love with the game with the way things ended up at Hearts, but he has built himself a really successful career. It’s great to see. None of this is a surprise because of his attitude and personality.”

Irving’s road is one less travelled. Türkgücü München collapsed financially. “It was eight months in an amazing city,” Irving said. “I picked up another language, lived alone, learned a lot and developed a lot as a person. It made me stronger.”

Irving returned to Edinburgh and trained alone. Austria Klagenfurt had picked up on his form in Germany, signing the midfielder two summers ago. After a link was created between the club and West Ham, sceptics believed the next Irving transfer – he initially remained in Austria on loan – was tokenism. They were proved wrong as the 24-year-old became involved in pre-season under Julen Lopetegui. “All of the dressing room loves him,” says the West Ham manager, maintaining a theme.

Two years ago, Irving’s agent called Craig Levein. The former Scotland manager and Hearts director of football was asked whether he would put in a word for Irving with Steve Clarke, the current Scotland manager. Levein was more than happy to do so. Earlier, Irving’s father had floated the idea of his son playing abroad with Levein. “It’s not like he was worried,” Levein says. “Andy is a determined boy. He has done the right thing, taking incremental steps rather than trying to aim right for the top. I’m delighted for him. Everybody’s story is different, but Andy’s is interesting.

“Technically, he was perhaps the best in the whole Hearts academy. He was a bit one-footed but his left foot was a wand. Technically he was always going to be good enough; my worry for Andy was his physicality and running power. He took a real stretch and for kids who do that, it takes a long time for their body to fill out. He looks like a man now. When he first got into the first team, he wasn’t really strong enough to compete with adults, so that was always the challenge for Andy. The worry was he wouldn’t be able to compete against top players in a midfield. He has obviously worked really hard.

“He was free-kick taker, corner taker, he could hit a 70-yard pass as well as Charlie Adam. He saw passes other people couldn’t see. Andy would try things that you thought were ridiculous but he had the confidence in himself to keep trying and the ability to play those passes.”

With Scotland decimated by injuries and amid a horrible run of form, Clarke needs green shoots. Irving provides one. Scottish participants at elite club level are always welcome; just now, they feel more valuable than ever.

Ken Buchanan is Portobello High School’s most famous export. Irving may not reach the same status as the boxing icon. It would, however, be unwise to predict how far his football journey will go. Irving has prevailed to the delight of those who have played a part in his story.