Driving runs into the right side of the box before finishing with power, free kicks and backflips. These are some of the things you see when you look up clips of Nestory Irankunda.
His goal against Turkiye in Australia’s opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was special.
Irankunda, 20, ran on to a ball over the top from Paul Okon-Engstler in the left hand channel before quickly going between two Turkish defenders before finishing near post one on one with the goalkeeper.So much perfection in less than 10 seconds of play.
His boxing of the corner flag celebration, a tribute to Australian great Tim Cahill, saw an outpouring of emotion from Aussies in the Vancouver stadium and back home.
“Timmy Cahill is my biggest inspiration when it comes to football. Him and Lionel Messi. Tim Cahill is Australia’s greatest, in my opinion. I just thought if I scored, I’d do the same as him, and I got to do it.”
Irankunda is already a national hero in his native Australia and is regarded as one of their biggest talents at this moment.
Born in Kigoma, Tanzania to refugees from Burundi, Irankunda and his family moved to Perth in Australia at just a few months old. They later relocated to Adelaide a few years later. His family had fled from the Burundi ethnic civil war happening back home.
He started playing football in 2014 for youth teams like Northern Wolves and Parafield Gardens, before being scouted and signed by A-league side Adelaide United.
Irankunda started playing Under-8s football for his youth teams, but after impressing coaches, he was moved up to the Under-12s. He has stated that he always played in higher age groups.
He supports La Liga side FC Barcelona, grew up wanting to be a center back, idolizing players like Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, and got annoyed when he was asked to play further forward in his youth days.
He made his debut for the Adelaide United senior team in January 2022 at the tender age of 15, making him one of the youngest debutants in the league’s history. A few weeks later, he scored his first goal, a free kick winner in injury time – something that has become quite synonymous with him in his fledgling career – against Newcastle Jets.
Irankunda continued to impress for his side, along with some disciplinary issues that have come along, prompting a club suspension and criticism from his manager Carl Veart, as well as the media, for his behaviour on and off the pitch. But as with a lot of special talents, his talent was undeniable and he garnered interest from Europe, before committing to FC Bayern Munich in November 2023.
He scored his first senior hat trick on March 29th 2024 in a 4-1 win against Western United, a few months before leaving for Germany.
Things did not go as planned in Germany, with Irankunda only making appearances for the Bayern reserves team and being an unused substitute on the bench twice for the senior team. He spent six months at Swiss League side Grasshopper for six months between January to June 2025, before moving to Watford in the English Championship in July.
