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Nestory Irankunda: Australia’s Bayern-bound starlet

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After lighting up the A-League for three seasons, teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda is set to become the first Australian player to join German giants Bayern Munich when he completes his pre-agreed move in July. It is still unclear whether the young forward will stay with the Rekordmeister at the start of the 2024/25 season, or go out on loan somewhere, but one thing is certain: he is the brightest young talent the A-League has ever developed.

By Neel Shelat

Nestory Irankunda’s story is quite remarkable so far. Born in a Tanzanian refugee camp to Burundian parents, his family moved to Australia when he was just three months old. As a young boy, he trained with a couple of small local clubs before being signed by National Premier Leagues side Adelaide Croatia Raiders at the age of 12.

It was while he was playing for the Raiders’ youth teams that Irankunda was spotted by scouts of the local A-League club, Adelaide United, who signed him in 2021. They soon realised the inconceivable potential the young attacker had as he excelled for the reserve team in the NPL, and Carl Veart decided to give Irankunda his senior debut that same season before he had even turned 16!

Breakthrough Seasons

Adelaide United and Veart deserve a lot of credit for the way in which they have managed Irankunda’s development. In his first two seasons at the club, the youngster made 30 A-League appearances altogether and returned with 8 goals and 2 assists, but only played under 700 minutes altogether as he was brought on from the bench each time.

Clearly the club was very careful to manage his playing time so as to not overstretch his physical capacities, which were very much under development at the time and still are, to some extent. At the same time, he was given a lot of responsibility in a crucial impact substitute role which he more than fulfilled, changing many a game with his exceptional quality and producing more attacking output off the bench than anyone else in the league in 2022/23.

Besides his development as a player, Adelaide United also had to manage his development as a person off the pitch. In the early days of the 2022/23 season, Irankunda was internally disciplined by the club for “failing to meet team expectations” but clearly went on to bounce back very well.

Veart deserves the plaudits for his management in this respect too. He has made a name for himself as one of the A-League’s best young talent developers with other youngsters such as Luka Jovanović, Jonny Yull and Giuseppe Bovalina also breaking through under his watch this season.

2023/24: The Explosion

The star of the show for Adelaide United this season, though, has undoubtedly been Irankunda as he has now become a regular starter.

His player radar concisely conveys what sort of a player he is – an absolute box office all-action winger. He can operate off the left but has certainly favoured the right in his time at Adelaide United, though he also tends to switch wings within games, on occasion, to keep the opposition full-backs on their toes.

The 18-year-old forward possesses the devastating combination of the energy and pace of an exuberant teenager as well as top-class technical ability and composure when it comes to decision-making on the pitch. He can either run past opposition defenders off the ball to get on the end of through passes or use his vast array of skills to bamboozle them before quickly changing direction and disappearing in a flash. That should explain his incredibly high dribbling numbers (per 90) and involvement in the box this season.

Once he gets even a sniff of goal, Irankunda is a killer. His ball-striking technique and power are second to none in the A-League, especially with his right foot, but also his left if needs be. Peppering shots at goal from all over the place is generally discouraged but Adelaide United have to make an exception with Irankunda because he can genuinely score from anywhere.

At the same time, he also knows when to look for teammates in better positions, which is why he has a high Expected Assists tally despite low passing involvement overall.

Despite shining in the A-League this season, Irankunda will still be a pretty raw talent when he moves over to Europe. His form has been patchy at times, even in Australia, so things will certainly not get any easier for him in the world’s strongest leagues.

Over the years, the A-League has produced many an exciting young talent of whom a fair few have gone on to Europe, but none of them have managed to establish themselves at a club at the most elite level. Of course, no one has made the jump to a club as big as Bayern Munich, or with so much hype surrounding them.

Irankunda seems to have the world at his feet as he leaves the A-League, but he has a long way to go and a lot of work to do before he can fulfil his potential. Bayern will have to be just as careful in managing his development as Adelaide United have been if Irankunda is really going to be one of their stars of tomorrow.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can track Nestory‘s upcoming games with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Nestory Irankunda: Australia’s Bayern-bound starlet

After lighting up the A-League for three seasons, teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda is set to become the first Australian player to join German giants Bayern Munich when he completes his pre-agreed move in July. It is still unclear whether the young forward will stay with the Rekordmeister at the start of the 2024/25 season, or go out on loan somewhere, but one thing is certain: he is the brightest young talent the A-League has ever developed.

By Neel Shelat

Nestory Irankunda’s story is quite remarkable so far. Born in a Tanzanian refugee camp to Burundian parents, his family moved to Australia when he was just three months old. As a young boy, he trained with a couple of small local clubs before being signed by National Premier Leagues side Adelaide Croatia Raiders at the age of 12.

It was while he was playing for the Raiders’ youth teams that Irankunda was spotted by scouts of the local A-League club, Adelaide United, who signed him in 2021. They soon realised the inconceivable potential the young attacker had as he excelled for the reserve team in the NPL, and Carl Veart decided to give Irankunda his senior debut that same season before he had even turned 16!

Breakthrough Seasons

Adelaide United and Veart deserve a lot of credit for the way in which they have managed Irankunda’s development. In his first two seasons at the club, the youngster made 30 A-League appearances altogether and returned with 8 goals and 2 assists, but only played under 700 minutes altogether as he was brought on from the bench each time.

Clearly the club was very careful to manage his playing time so as to not overstretch his physical capacities, which were very much under development at the time and still are, to some extent. At the same time, he was given a lot of responsibility in a crucial impact substitute role which he more than fulfilled, changing many a game with his exceptional quality and producing more attacking output off the bench than anyone else in the league in 2022/23.

Besides his development as a player, Adelaide United also had to manage his development as a person off the pitch. In the early days of the 2022/23 season, Irankunda was internally disciplined by the club for “failing to meet team expectations” but clearly went on to bounce back very well.

Veart deserves the plaudits for his management in this respect too. He has made a name for himself as one of the A-League’s best young talent developers with other youngsters such as Luka Jovanović, Jonny Yull and Giuseppe Bovalina also breaking through under his watch this season.

2023/24: The Explosion

The star of the show for Adelaide United this season, though, has undoubtedly been Irankunda as he has now become a regular starter.

His player radar concisely conveys what sort of a player he is – an absolute box office all-action winger. He can operate off the left but has certainly favoured the right in his time at Adelaide United, though he also tends to switch wings within games, on occasion, to keep the opposition full-backs on their toes.

The 18-year-old forward possesses the devastating combination of the energy and pace of an exuberant teenager as well as top-class technical ability and composure when it comes to decision-making on the pitch. He can either run past opposition defenders off the ball to get on the end of through passes or use his vast array of skills to bamboozle them before quickly changing direction and disappearing in a flash. That should explain his incredibly high dribbling numbers (per 90) and involvement in the box this season.

Once he gets even a sniff of goal, Irankunda is a killer. His ball-striking technique and power are second to none in the A-League, especially with his right foot, but also his left if needs be. Peppering shots at goal from all over the place is generally discouraged but Adelaide United have to make an exception with Irankunda because he can genuinely score from anywhere.

At the same time, he also knows when to look for teammates in better positions, which is why he has a high Expected Assists tally despite low passing involvement overall.

Despite shining in the A-League this season, Irankunda will still be a pretty raw talent when he moves over to Europe. His form has been patchy at times, even in Australia, so things will certainly not get any easier for him in the world’s strongest leagues.

Over the years, the A-League has produced many an exciting young talent of whom a fair few have gone on to Europe, but none of them have managed to establish themselves at a club at the most elite level. Of course, no one has made the jump to a club as big as Bayern Munich, or with so much hype surrounding them.

Irankunda seems to have the world at his feet as he leaves the A-League, but he has a long way to go and a lot of work to do before he can fulfil his potential. Bayern will have to be just as careful in managing his development as Adelaide United have been if Irankunda is really going to be one of their stars of tomorrow.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can track Nestory‘s upcoming games with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.