Wherever Jackson Irvine has gone in his career, he has done things in his own unique way.
Irvine stands on the verge of his second World Cup with Australia, a player approaching the peak years of his career while impressing for club and country.
But while he wears the amber and green jersey with pride, he has strong Scottish heritage, as Irvine’s father Steve was born in Aberdeen and is a Dons fan.
Steve grew up in the Northfield area of the city, playing junior football for East End, before moving Down Under in 1978 at 21 to continue his sporting career. He enjoyed it so much, he never came back.
“I got a two-year contract with a club in Melbourne and thought I would be back,” he said. “I’ve been there ever since.”
His older brother and Jackson’s uncle, Sandy, preceded him out in Australia and actually won caps for his adopted nation.
As well as Celtic and Ross County, Kilmarnock and Hibernian can also count themselves among Irvine junior’s former clubs.
Jackson represented Scotland at youth international level, but did not feel completely connected to the nation of his father’s birth.
When Australia came calling, it was a simple choice.
“When he played for Scotland he said he didn’t know the words to the national anthem and it didn’t feel right for him,” added Steve. “He felt Australian, so when they knocked on the door, that was that.
“I’ve still got his Scotland shirt – he scored for them in one of the Euro under-19 qualifiers.”
A staple of Staggies success
Irvine was an integral part of Ross County’s League Cup success in 2016.
Signed on a permanent deal from Celtic, after a loan spell the previous season, Irvine was instrumental in dumping out his former side in a 3-1 semi-final triumph.
It was Irvine’s tenacity that helped set up the opener in the final, striding on to a loose ball in the Hibernian half before releasing Michael Gardyne to score.
His performances in the County shirt not only netted them a six-figure fee when he moved to Burton Albion in the summer of 2016, but also helped propel him back on to the radar of the Socceroos.
“He was very raw when he came to us,” said Jim McIntyre, the man who signed him for County. “He played a number of different positions and it took us quite a while to convince him his best position was as a box-to-box midfielder.
“He had all the attributes for it; he’s good in the air, covers ground quickly, can make a pass and run away from people.
“He had an arrogance about him, in a good way. He believed in his ability, which all good players should do.”
Finding his feet in Scotland
The origins of Irvine and Joe Chalmers’ friendship stems from the time the gangly teenager from Melbourne made his way over to Glasgow in 2010, signing for Celtic after a trial period.
Their age group won the Youth Cup in 2012, alongside the likes of Dylan McGeouch and Callum McGregor, before embarking on the next steps of their careers.
“Back then he was a holding-midfielder; he played more as a box-to-box midfielder at Ross County and that was the best thing that happened to him,” said Chalmers, now with League One side Dunfermline Athletic.
“We’re still in contact. Me, Jackson and Marcus Fraser are really good friends. Jackson became really good friends with my friends and my brother while we were in Glasgow. Any time he’s home we catch up.”
Irvine thrived as a goalscoring midfielder at Burton Albion and earned a move to Hull City, where he racked up more than 100 appearances.
Given what Chalmers knew of his personality, the subsequent move to St Pauli came as no surprise.
“As soon as he told us he was going over there, we told him it was perfect,” he added.
“Him and the team had a really good season last year and only just missed out on going up. He’s really well liked by the fans and players and is one of their co-captains.”
Going against the grain
Irvine does not fit the mould of your stereotypical footballer.
With a moustache ripped straight out of a sepia-toned 1970s detective drama and hair of an elven warrior, he cuts the appearance of a barista at a start-up coffee shop, rather than a midfield lynchpin.
He has an eclectic fashion sense and can also play guitar. All human beings have a social conscience of some sort, but Irvine displayed his in a thoughtful, eloquent piece he wrote for FIFPro this month ahead of the World Cup on the subject of gay rights.
Perhaps it is no surprise he is a popular figure at his club – the German side St Pauli who have garnered a “hipster” reputation for their left-wing stances and strong social morals.
“He was a total original,” said McIntyre. “He had a wacky dress sense, but he did not give a monkeys about what anyone had to say.
“He was very comfortable in his own style, which is to be admired. He’s not what you’d call a typical footballer and he’s done it in his own way.
“Jackson had a confidence and a ‘don’t care’ attitude – why would you want to take that out of him?
“I only cared about what he did on the football field. The more time went on, the better he got.”
Irvine is ‘outspoken about what he believes in’
Irvine recently took part in a photoshoot for Men’s Health magazine in Germany, which did not go unnoticed among his friendship group.
“One of the best things about football for me is that if it wasn’t for football, I wouldn’t have come across someone like Jackson,” said Chalmers.
“I think the thing everyone likes about him is the way he dresses. People would maybe want to dress like that but would be worried about what people would say.
“But he’s his own man and as long as he’s happy with what he’s wearing, he doesn’t care.”
Steve jokes that Irvine’s sense of style certainly does not come from the Aberdonian side of the family, but he and wife Danielle take pride in how he stands up for what he believes in.
We support @jacksonirvine_ now. pic.twitter.com/csbaNKbvx1
— MUNDIAL (@MundialMag) November 14, 2022
“He’s always been a different sort of character and is outspoken about what he believes in,” he said. “He’s always been like that since he was a kid.
“He speaks about stuff that a lot of players bigger than him wouldn’t – he’s always made everyone the same since he was a kid and we’re proud of him for that.”
Irvine was the driving force behind the Socceroos video which spoke out on workers’ rights in Qatar and garnered attention around the world.
“He said to the rest of the team that these are his feelings and he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the rest of the team,” said his father. “A lot of the guys got behind it and what you got was that video.”
Thriving on the world stage
Tonight’s game against France in Al-Wakrah will see Irvine, if selected, win his 50th cap for his country.
It is a strange coincidence Australia opened their tournament in Russia four years ago with this same fixture. On that day, Irvine was a second-half substitute in a 2-1 defeat, but he has gravitated to centre stage in the intervening years.
“It’s always nice when you see players you know go on and he’s done particularly well for himself,” added McIntyre. “I’m really pleased for him and to be at a second World Cup, winning your 50th cap, is a brilliant achievement.”
Chalmers quips that Irvine’s appearance in Qatar gives him an extra reason to follow the World Cup, with Scotland being absent.
“It’s amazing – what a story it is,” he added. “He’s earned it and to see him doing so well for his country – in his second World Cup – is amazing.”
For his father, sitting in the stands watching his son stride out on to the field, it will be a touching moment.
“I will probably get a tear in my eye,” he said. “All the effort he’s put in has come to fruition.
“He’s a more composed and experienced player than he was four years ago and it’ll be great to see him walk out for his 50th cap. I can’t wait.”
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