Preston’s full-back Kevin O’Connor has won €1m in a lottery raffle in Ireland thanks to a ticket given to him as a present by his uncle.

O’Connor, who signed for Preston last year, is from Ireland and returned for a few days with family and friends over the New Year after he learned of his win.

After collecting his jackpot in the National Lottery offices in Dublin the 22-year-old revealed that his mother, Breda, urged him to check his ticket after hearing the winning numbers were sold locally.

“After some searching, I sent them a picture of the ticket but I never really believed that it was the winner of the one million euro prize,” he said. “We had a game with Middlesbrough on Monday night so I completely put it to the back of my head until after the final whistle.”

O’Connor, originally from Wexford, has played at under-21 level for the Republic of Ireland. He signed for the Championship club Preston last June after helping Cork City to win the league and cup double.

O’Connor’s uncle and godfather Peadar Murphy, who lives in Castlebridge, Co Wexford, bought the winning raffle ticket in Flanagan’s Supermarket, near where he lives, on 14 December and gave it to his nephew as a present.

“It’s been an incredible two days and I don’t think the win has sunk in yet,” O’Connor said. “I have no immediate plans but will take a few days before we make any decisions.

“The important part of today was having my family with me so they will be at the forefront of any plans. My main focus at the moment is to help Preston climb the Championship and hopefully challenge for a Premier League spot over the next couple of months.”

After collecting the win O’Connor is to return to Deepdale to join preparations for Preston’s FA Cup tie against Wycombe on Saturday.