Northern Ireland 5-0 Bulgaria

Northern Ireland scored five goals in the same game for the first time since 1995 as they beat Bulgaria 5-0 at Windsor Park this week. The side's defensive excellence has been praised recently, but their goalscoring had left a lot to be desired. Captain Conor Bradley had said that the goals would soon come, and he was proved right.

A hattrick from Isaac Price plus a goal from Josh Magennis and an own goal helped Northern Ireland to a historic win and saw them leapfrog their opponents to first in their group.

Who is Isaac Price?

Price, who has only scored one goal in his domestic football career, has now netted five times for his country at the age of just 21. Michael O’Niell’s side is one that focuses on bringing through younger players like Price. Tuesday’s captain, Bradley, is also just 21 years old.

Isaac Price is the youngest ever player to score a hat-trick for Northern Ireland in their history.

21 years and 91 days old. 🎩 pic.twitter.com/muGJSwmStQ

— Squawka (@Squawka) October 15, 2024

The midfielder joined the Everton academy at the age of seven and moved up the ranks until he signed his first professional contract at the age of 17 in 2020. He signed on a three-year contract, hoping to progress towards the first team by the end of it.

He only made a handful of appearances for the Toffees before his contract ran out, so he joined Belgian Pro League side Standard Liege on a four year deal in 2023. Since then he has played nearly 50 times for the club and scored once, a last minute winner against Club Brugge over a year ago.

Isaac Price’s International Career

Price had plenty of options when it came to representing an international team. He was born in England but was also able to represent Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Germany.

He represented Northern Ireland at Under 16s, 17s, 19s, and 21s level before making his debut for the senior team against San Marino in March 2023. Since his move to Belgium, Price has scored five times for the national team and been a mainstay in the squad.

What Next For Price And Northern Ireland?

Price hasn’t really been a player that lots of clubs are fighting over, but his performance against Bulgaria may have alerted some to his ability. I’m sure Standard Liege will want to keep a hold of him, but at just 21, Price has a lot of room to grow into a high quality midfielder.

Conor captained @NorthernIreland in their 5-0 win over Bulgaria this evening 💪 pic.twitter.com/BzvWCMi8Gs

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 15, 2024

As for Northern Ireland, they should finish this Nations League campaign at the top of their group. Against Bulgaria, six players aged 21 or under started for Michael O’Niell’s side. Should they develop well, then we could be seeing Northern Ireland qualify for their first major tournament since Euro 2016, and just their fifth in their history. Soon the national team could have a problem of having too many talented youngsters, something that England are facing right now.

Domestic football returns on Friday with Borussia Dortmund hosting Bundesliga newcomers St. Pauli.