Wrexham’s Paul Mullin has revealed why the Katy Perry song ‘Firework’ is so inspirational to him, with said track lifting him in some tough times.
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Striker endured a tough time at TranmereWas introduced to uplifting pop trackRediscovered his spark & never looked backWHAT HAPPENED?
The 29-year-old frontman has not always been the prolific presence that he is today, with a spell at Tranmere seeing goals and regular starting berths prove hard to come by. Mullin was ready to throw in the towel at one stage, but an initial loan transfer to Cambridge got his career back on track – with his mum and pop star Perry playing unlikely roles in the rediscovery of a lost spark.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT MULLIN SAID
Mullin has said in his new autobiography ‘My Wrexham Story’: “One morning I actually said to [my wife] Mollie: ‘I don’t want to go [to training with Tranmere]. I’m not going to play anyway. I can’t be arsed any more. I just want to stay at home.’ Mollie talked it over with me, and eventually I did set off. On the way, mum rang. ‘I’ve just been listening to a song,’ she told me, ‘and it’s definitely about you.’ ‘OK,’ I said dubiously. ‘What is it?’ ‘Katy Perry,’ she replied. ‘Firework’. I put it on in the car and for the first time actually listened to the lyrics. What I heard were amazing words about believing in yourself, unleashing your true potential, finding that spark. It made me really emotional as I thought about why mum was telling me to listen. I know everyone in my family loves me, same as I love them, but in that moment it was something really special – ‘Someone actually thinks that about me.’ It was a really big thing for me when I was feeling so low. After the mental drain of Tranmere, I felt I’d had a whole new injection of energy [after joining Cambridge]. I did everything I could to maintain that feeling, including playing ‘Firework’ as I drove to the ground before every game. At the end of the 2020–21 season, when Cambridge got promoted, mum put it on in her garden to celebrate.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Mullin – who was released by Liverpool at the age of 16 and almost signed for Spanish signed Racing Santander before making a senior breakthrough in England – got back into the groove while at Cambridge. He hit 36 goals for them in 56 appearances, with his efforts in 2020-21 earning him the League Two Golden Boot.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MULLIN?
Mullin is back in the fourth tier of English football in 2023-24, with his 47 efforts last season helping to fire Wrexham to a record-breaking promotion into the Football League. He has scored 88 goals for the Welsh club in 111 appearances – with his latest outing seeing him hit a hat-trick, much to the delight of the Red Dragons’ Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.