The football-obsessed Piroe long dreamt of playing in the Premier League, and even back in 2021 when the centre-forward made the move from PSV in the Eredivisie to Swansea in the Championship, his ultimate goal was to play in the best league in the world one day.
"Growing up and seeing how El Clasico was at that time, I think it's fair to say that almost every kid dreamt of playing for one of those two (Barcelona and Real Madrid). But at the same time, as I was getting a little bit older, I always dreamt of playing in the Premier League, to be fair. Just because everyone always kept saying it's the best league in the world," begins Piroe.
"Seeing, learning and speaking to some of the legends like Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Makaay and Boudewijn Zenden as well, to hear their stories, that makes you curious and makes you want to reach that league."
After excelling (46 goals in 96 appearances) for the Swans, the prolific goalscorer swapped the Liberty Stadium for Elland Road in 2023 and guided Leeds United back to the Premier League by scoring 19 goals, winning the Championship and being the Golden Boot winner in 2024/25, an achievement and memories labelled as "special" which still give Piroe goosebumps.
Subsequently, the 26-year-old fulfilled his lifelong dream last season and helped the Whites earn safety in the English top tier.
"Personally, it's been a good season to see the Premier League and to adapt, but unfortunately, I didn't have a key role in the season. At the same time, it kept some pressure off me to properly adapt to the league, because it's been my first season in the Premier League," analyses Piroe.
"And as a team, we almost had the same struggle. We had to adapt during the first half of the season a little bit, but then afterwards, when we properly adapted to the league, I think we did really well. And it's fair to say that because we finished in 14th place, we did a really good job to get out of the relegation zone."
With the arrival of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the Suriname international made 21 appearances across all competitions and only found the back of the net against Norwich in the FA Cup, but the striker is not short of confidence and is determined to prove himself in the Premier League in the upcoming campaign.
"I don't think it did anything to my confidence because when you play a very low number of minutes, it maybe says 21 appearances, but if you look at the minutes (572), then it's not something that I would punish myself for. At the same time, when I think back about some games, like the home game against Manchester United when I could have scored the winner in the last minute, of course, those moments can make you angry, or you think like, 'Ah, I should have done better'," explains Piroe.
"But at the same time, that happens and then you think like, if I played maybe the full game or more minutes, then for sure I would have scored more. But yes, that is something you don't have in your hands. Personally, it's always tough because everyone wants to play every minute. But I think in some situations it's just good to make out of a bad situation a good situation.
"So, instead of moping around and being annoyed, you can still make it a good season on a personal level, and I just think that's what I've done and I hope to be able to show that next season."
The Leeds United no. 10 was in the starting lineup for the opening couple of matches against Everton and Arsenal, respectively, and remembers that coming up against William Saliba and Gabriel was his 'Welcome to the Premier League' moment.
"The first game, I think, went really well when we played against Everton. The second game was Arsenal away, and that game was the proper 'Welcome to the Premier League' game. Like, it was hard. It was their first home game as well, so they really wanted to give their fans a show, and for us, the step up was so big.
"When we played Everton, we were like, 'Oh, we're going to be flying this season'. Then when we played Arsenal, we were like, 'All right. Both feet on the ground again. We just have to make sure we survive this season'."
One of the most memorable victories in the West Yorkshire-based club's recent history came against the biggest rivals, Manchester United, with Daniel Farke's squad celebrating a league win at Old Trafford for the first time since 1981.
"That was a crazy experience. We knew that they're our rivals and we saw at our home game what it meant for our fans already. And then to go there and experience that their fans hate us just as much, that made it like a really good atmosphere for us as well. And then to win the game in that way for the first time in 45 years was just beautiful. I don't think many players can say that, and it was just crazy," says Piroe.
The Peacocks will begin the new season (2026/27) with aspirations of improving on the 14th-place finish from last season, although the initial aim will be to secure safety once again.
"The team's goal will be to at least replicate last season, and hopefully, do even better to get closer to 10th place or maybe even more. On a personal level, I just want to show my growth and show that I have adapted to the league now, and that I can step up," adds Piroe.
Piroe was a target for a host of clubs during the winter transfer window, with the likes of Paris FC, Celtic, Twente and Ipswich among others interested in signing the versatile forward who can also play deeper as a No. 10, but his focus is on helping Leeds United and establishing himself in the Premier League despite interest from elsewhere again this summer.
"I just want to prove myself with Leeds in the Premier League. I had a little bit of the feeling that I didn't want to run away from the challenge (in the winter transfer window). If the start is not going as I want it to, then after just half a season to run away from the challenge, that didn't feel right as well. And I thought to myself, 'Why run away after half a season when you have not experienced like a full season in the Premier League?' I still see my future there (at Leeds)," says Piroe.
"Of course, when pre-season starts, I will see and feel a bit more about what the club thinks as well. But for now, I just want to present myself in a way where I can show these are the steps I've made in comparison to last season. And if it's good enough and I get the chances, then I would be really happy. And if it's not the case, then we will see what will happen."
Learning from Van Nistelrooy and drawing inspiration from Cape Verde
The Netherlands-born forward grew up idolising Ronaldo, but when asked to pick a trait from his favourite goalscorers from today's modern football, Piroe builds the perfect striker.
"There are two different categories: growing up watching YouTube clips, it was always the Brazilian Ronaldo for me, and watching live games, then it was more Robert Lewandowski, Luis Suarez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as well. All different profiles, but special in their own way," he says.
"If I had to pick a trait from all those players, then from Lewandowski, his positioning in front of the goal, the way he gets on the end of crosses. Suarez is just the smell of the goal; in my eyes, he's completely different and is more of a type of striker who creates his own goals. And then, well, R9 is just special. I would have to say, the flair, the ideas he had in his head, when he started a dribble, I think it's just on a different level as well."
Piroe took swimming lessons as a child before pursuing his passion for football and began his career as a left-back during his youth days, but after scoring a lot of goals from defence, the coaches decided to try him out as a striker and shaped his long-term position.
Furthermore, the PSV academy product enjoyed the opportunity to learn from the legendary Dutch goalscorers, Roy Makaay and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who were coaching within Feyenoord and the Eindhoven-based club's youth categories, respectively.
"The details are what they can give you, a lot of aspects that will be overlooked by many. But what separated them to have had the career that they had and with Van Nistelrooy, I always remember that he was talking about creating habits," recalls Piroe.
"In certain positions you have, let's say two types of shots, and one is for the near post, one is for the far corner, and that you just keep doing the same thing over and over, and then just whenever the situation arrives, the only decision you really have to make is which of the two do I pick? You don't have to worry about too many other things."
The talented attacker represented the Netherlands youth national teams and was even the joint-top scorer at the Euro Under-19 back in 2017, but with his father being of Surinamese descent, Piroe took his time in deciding his international career and ultimately decided to play for Suriname, the 125th-ranked national team.
"In the last couple of years, I have been asked too many times, 'Do you want to play for them (Suriname)? Do you want to play for the Netherlands?' And I always said that I don't want to make the decision whilst I'm still playing in the Championship. So, when we got promoted, I knew the decision time would get closer now to what I wanted to pick," explains Piroe.
"And after many calls and talks with the coaches as well, I decided to play for Suriname. And they were really close as well to getting to the World Cup, but we knew we had two tough games. Or if we would win the first one, two tough games then. But that was a very special moment, something I really enjoyed, but the outcome a little bit less."
One of the members of the Suriname coaching staff is the former Leeds striker, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who spoke with Piroe about his decision to represent Suriname and his time at Elland Road.
"We spoke together quite a lot, especially because he was one of the members of the coaching staff as well. We discussed some of the topics at Leeds and also what he explained, what he wanted to give me as advice as well for my career."
The 26-year-old made his debut for Suriname in the 2026 World Cup play-offs back in March, but the Green Guardians lost to Bolivia in the semi-final. Watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, Piroe set a target for his national team to play at the big tournament one day.
"That's the goal. You want to be at the best stage, and if you look at some, with all due respect, smaller countries like Cape Verde and you see what they have done, you just think that's almost possible for anyone and, and that's the goal you want to set for the future," finishes Piroe.
