268: Jackson Irvine (Part B)
5/13/202653 min
A global footballer, a leader, and unapologetically himself. Vice-captain of Australia, and yes… the coolest Socceroo there is. Beneath the style is a story built on dedication, sacrifice, and an unshakeable belief in the dream.
From kicking a ball around Rowville, to packing his life at 16 and heading to Scotland with no guarantees, this is a journey of pure intent. Irvine opens up on the mindset that carried him from suburban Melbourne to Europe, the brutal realities of professional football, and the moments that tested everything, including turning down generational money, the loneliness of lockdown training in a park, and fighting his way back when the game almost slipped away.
There’s stories from Celtic to St. Pauli, from Hamburg streets to the World Cup. From local footy nostalgia to standing across from greatness like Lionel Messi. It’s about ownership. It’s about resilience. And it’s about building a life bigger than the game itself, through culture, community, and connection.
For the next generation, this one hits deep, what you can control, what you can’t, and how consistency, effort, and self-belief stack up over time.
This special episode of The Howie Games, powered by Powerade, is all about fuelling your journey, on and off the field. Because as Jacko shows, greatness isn’t given, it’s built.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
[upbeat music] A listener production.
Mark Howard· Host0:04
You are listening to episode 268 of The Howie Games Part B, featuring Socceroo Jackson Irvine, courtesy of our mates at Powerade, the official sports drink of FIFA World Cup 2026. Roll it, Tommy. So there's all sorts of things on the internet, Jacko, that you don't know are right or wrong. So I, I'm just gonna ask you this one- Yeah ... because I, I read this. Okay. It was reported that when you were at Burton Albion in '16, '17 in the English Championship, that you were offered a deal with a Chinese club. Now, in theory, you were on about 400,000 a year, and this Chinese club, from what I read, offered you $160,000 a week. Is there any truth to that story?
Jackson Irvine· Guest0:52
Yes, that is absolutely true.
Mark Howard· Host0:55
Wow.
Jackson Irvine· Guest0:55
Yeah. Um, listen, it's, it's the b- [chuckles] it's the best worst case scenario you can ever ask for as a young player, to be given [chuckles] this kind of decision.
Mark Howard· Host1:07
So, so this is an $8.5 million deal and you're on, on about 400 grand. So th- this is ballsy, but there's a reason behind it obviously. So h- how does it work? Does some bloke from China just ring up and say, "All right, there's eight point"... Or is your auntie still doing the negotiations- [laughs] ... or what's happening at this point?
Jackson Irvine· Guest1:23
Um, I definitely wasn't even on 400 grand, by the way. I don't, I think I was on- Right.
Mark Howard· Host1:27
Okay ...
Jackson Irvine· Guest1:27
I think, I think I was on about half of that. Um-