His father David, the former Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton striker, played for England three times back in the 1990s.
Yet, when George Hirst was a young boy kicking a ball about in his back garden in South Yorkshire with his grandad Eric he was always encouraged to imagine that he was scoring for Scotland.
So when the Ipswich Town striker was notified last week – while he was on a golfing holiday in Portugal with his mates - that he had been called up by Steve Clarke for the World Cup finals and would be representing his adopted homeland over in the United States it was an emotional moment for him, the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.
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“I couldn't quite contain my excitement, even on the golf course,” said Hirst, who switched his allegiances last year and has since won eight caps and scored one goal for his adopted homeland.
“I had a putt for birdie and ended up making a double bogey! I was obviously over the moon. I couldn't believe it. It was an ambition for me when I was a kid to go to a World Cup as a footballer. I'll be forever grateful to the manager to give me that opportunity.”
After making frantic phone calls to his old man and his partner, his thoughts turned, as they had done when he decided to make himself available for selection by Scotland, to his late grandfather.
“Playing for Scotland was an opportunity to firstly represent my grandad,” he said. “He’s no longer with us, but he’d have been extremely proud of me to do that. But I didn’t see a World Cup, it wasn’t something I was thinking about.
“I remember when I was younger kicking the ball around in the back garden. He was constantly on about scoring a goal for Scotland, it was never anything else. So that was a massive factor in my decision.
“My grandad was Eric Hirst, my dad is David Eric Hirst and I’m George David Eric Hirst. So my son’s going to have a hell of a driving licence isn’t he? It’s quite a mouthful, but it’s not something I can ever forget. When someone asks me for my full name, I’m saying my dad’s and my grandad’s name as well.
“It’s a constant inspiration for me. He never really got to see me play, he passed away when I was six or seven. But I still remember him mentioning it to me to this day. Having those little reminders and motivational things in my head makes me really proud.”
Hirst continued, “I’ve treated every camp like it might be my last. I don’t look too far into the future. That’s why when I got the email it felt so special. There wasn’t a world where a year ago I thought I’d be going to the World Cup.
“There was definitely a world where I was in the squad, there was a world where I wasn't. I wasn't naive to that fact. It was something that I'd worked from. During he March camp, I had conversations with the manager, pretty honest conversations.
“For the end of the season, it was just up to me to do as well as possible at Ipswich and show why I deserve to be on the plane to America. You never know what other people are thinking. For me, it was just a massive relief and a really proud moment when that email finally came through.”
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Hirst, who is hoping to get some more international game time in the World Cup warm-up match against Curacao at Hampden on Saturday and show Clarke what he can do in the group games , revealed that he has turned his famous father into a Scotland supporter since he first donned a dark blue jersey.
“My dad’s dad was obviously from Scotland and he couldn’t have been prouder when I got picked,” he said. “He was the first person I spoke to after my missus. He was absolutely delighted. It was a nice moment because he didn’t get the chance to go to a World Cup.
“So it was the first thing in the 27 years I’ve been on the planet that I had over him, which was quite nice. I’ve mentioned it a few times to him since last Tuesday. He’s incredibly proud as are all of my family.
“I don’t know if you’ll get him wearing a kilt. No-one wants to see that, to be fair. I think he’ll be going over to America. If not, I know he’ll be at home watching in the pub with his mates.
“They’ll have their Scotland flags out and Scotland tops on. He’ll dress up his local boozer as a home away from home. But I’ll have family out there and having that support means the world.”
The prospect of playing for Scotland in a World Cup against a Brazil side that contains Neymar – who manager Carlo Ancelotti has called up for the first time since 2023 – is a slightly surreal one for Hirst.
But he stressed that he and his team mates will not be starstruck by any of their opponents over in the United States because they will be fully focused on recording the results they need to secure a place in the knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
“I can definitely appreciate how good Neymar is,” he said. “But if any of you have watched me play, he’s not someone that I tend to model my game on. There are other options for that. I’m probably more Peter Crouch than Neymar!
“But he’s incredible. He’s the kind of player who is right up there with Messi and Ronaldo. When you’re younger, do you think you’re going to get the chance to share the pitch with those players? Not really. You kinda hope and try to work towards it.
“It’s amazing for him that he’s still going and showing the quality he’s got. But when we get to that game, I don’t really care who’s on the pitch. It won’t make any difference to me or the other boys. Whether it’s Neymar or anyone else, they’re there to get beat and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.
“We want to take in where we are. We’re at a World Cup, which could make you nervous, but it’s there to be enjoyed. If you think like that you’ll get the best out of yourself on the pitch. Hopefully, I can train well, get minutes in the friendly games and give the manager something to think about.”
