Nestory Irankunda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Personal information
Date of birth
9 February 2006
Place of birth
Kigoma, Tanzania
Height
1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position
Winger
Team information
Current team
Sporting CP
Youth career
Northern Wolves
Parafield Gardens
Adelaide Croatia Raiders
2018-2020
Adelaide United
2021
Senior career*
Adelaide United Youth
2021-2023
30x apps 6x goals
Adelaide United
2022-2024
60x apps 16x goals
Bayern Munich II
2024
15x apps 4x goals
Bayern Munich
2024-2025
0x app 0x goal
→ Grasshopper (loan)
2025
19x apps 1x goal
Watford
2025-2026
40x apps 4x goals
Sporting CP
2026-
1x apps 0x goal
International career‡
Australia U17
2022-2023
7x apps 11x goals
Australia
2024-
19x apps 6x goals
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 April 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 3 July 2026
Nestory Irankunda is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Primeira Liga club Sporting CP.
Born in Tanzania and raised in Adelaide, Australia, he plays for the Australian national team.
He played for various Australian youth clubs before beginning his professional career at to A-League club Adelaide United in 2022, being named the joint-2023–24 A-League Young Footballer of the Year with Alex Paulsen.
In July 2024, Irankunda joined Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, breaking the A-League transfer record of €4m, though he featured only in the club's reserve team for one season and went on loan to Swiss Super League club Grasshopper.
The following season, he moved to EFL Championship side Watford in July 2025.
Irankunda was born to Burundian refugees in Tanzania and moved to Australia as a baby.
He featured at the U17 level, scoring 11 goals in only 7 apps, quickly being promoted to the senior team, where he debuted in June 2024.
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, his opening goal in Australia's 2:0 victory over Turkey made him the youngest Australian man to score at a FIFA World Cup.
Early life and education
Nestory Irankunda was born on 9 February 2006 in Kigoma, Tanzania, the third-eldest child with two older brothers and five younger sisters to Gideon, a rideshare driver, and his wife, Dafroza.
His parents were originally from Burundi, but fled their home due to the civil war escalating at the time. His father led his family to a refugee camp in Tanzania, where Nestory was born.
They moved to Perth in Western Australia, when Irankunda was three months old, before relocating interstate to the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia, at the age of seven in 2013.
At the age of eight, Irankunda played for his first football club at Parafield Gardens after being spotted by the under-10s coach of the local club.
Irankunda attended Parafield Gardens High School in Parafield Gardens, South Australia, a northern suburb of Adelaide.
Despite claiming to do poorly at school, Irankunda stated his favourite subject was English, and he enjoyed the Harry Potter book series and film series.
He was a runner-up in his category in the School Sports Awards in December 2022.
During his upbringing, Irankunda's father drove him around to his football games before he was old enough to obtain his driver's licence, and his older brothers stopped playing football to help pay for his football fees when he played in the NPL.
For this reason, he considers his father and brothers as his heroes, as well as his mother and sisters, who took care of him when he was a baby.
During his junior years in Australian football, he first played with Northern Wolves in the northern Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth for a season in 2015.
During this time, coach Agostino Bivone helped the family by driving them to games, and the club subsidised their fees when they could not afford them.
After making the move to Parafield Gardens SSC, he was scouted and signed by National Premier Leagues (NPL) side Adelaide Croatia Raiders.
During his time in the youth levels for the Raiders, he caught the attention of many scouts in the area, including Airton Andrioli, the head of youth for A-League side Adelaide United, who eventually invited him to trial for the youth squad before offering a permanent spot after a couple of weeks.
When asked about Irankunda in an interview in 2023, Andrioli stated, "When you see a boy like Nestory, some players have that naturally.
That gift of understanding and reading the game, being street smart. You don’t see that a lot in Australian players.
That's why Nestory from the start had that kind of thing".
Club career
Adelaide United
2021-22: Development
In his first year for Adelaide United, Irankunda initially played with the reserves, and after a couple of weeks, started featuring for the Adelaide United NPL side.
Despite being 15 at the time, he accumulated 26 appearances and 12 goals in total for both the senior and reserve squads for the Reds.
On 27 September 2021, Irankunda signed a scholarship contract (his first professional contract) with Adelaide United.
On 8 January 2022, at the age of 15 years and 333 days, Irankunda became the sixth youngest player in A-League history and the third youngest debutant at the time for Adelaide United when he made his debut against rivals Melbourne Victory, drawing 1:1 at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
On 30 January, Irankunda scored his first league goal, a free kick in stoppage time to win the game 2:1 against Newcastle Jets.
His goal made him the second-youngest goalscorer in the league at the age of 15 years and 355 days, after Mohamed Toure, who scored at the age of 15 years and 325 days.
He scored his second league goal, coming off the bench to score the winner in a 2:1 home win over Central Coast Mariners on 27 February.
On 24 April, he increased his goalscoring tally to three after he scored a stoppage-time goal and helped his side secure a 2:0 win against Perth Glory.
His brief cameo won him the Tomas Dale Medal for his sporting manner in the club.
On 26 May, Irankunda was selected in the A-League All Stars squad, alongside teammates Isaías Sánchez and Alexandar Popovic, to face Spanish giants Barcelona.
2022-23: Breakthrough season
In November 2022, Irankunda missed the first Original Rivalry match of the 2022–23 season after receiving a month's suspension from the club for turning up late to several team meetings and avoiding "chores" associated with being one of the club’s younger players.
Irankunda scored his first goal of the season, the winning goal of a 2:1 home victory against Brisbane Roar on 4 February 2023.
His goal received praise from manager Carl Veart, who stated, "This is the talent that Nestor has." Irankunda dedicated the goal to Spanish teammate and friend Juande, who broke his leg in a 3:3 draw with Melbourne City a week earlier.
Irankunda furthered his reputation as a key player off the bench after scoring in three consecutive appearances for Adelaide United in the matches against Melbourne Victory (1:1), Melbourne City (4:2), and Newcastle Jets (4:2).
He was awarded A-League Goal of the Month in February for his goal against Melbourne Victory.
Irankunda was criticised in the media for his discipline issues when he started a brawl in the match against Western Sydney Wanderers that led to Wanderers' captain Marcelo getting sent off for headlocking Irankunda after he provoked Calem Nieuwenhof.
Another incident occurred on 23 April against Perth Glory when he received a booking for kicking the broadcaster’s pitchside microphone.
In the same match against Perth, Irankunda scored his fifth goal of the season in the 99th minute of a 4:4 draw at the Perth Rectangular Stadium.
The goal brought his A-League career total to eight goals, surpassing Mohamed Toure's record as the competition’s highest under-18 goalscorer.
Irankunda was awarded the club's Rising Star accolade on 2 May.
He featured off the bench in United's final game of the season on 20 May, where his side lost 2:0 against the eventual winners, Central Coast Mariners at Central Coast Stadium.
2023-24: Final season with Adelaide United
During Adelaide's 2023-24 pre-season, Irankunda returned to Adelaide United Youth, where he scored the winner in the Young Reds' 4:3 elimination final victory against Adelaide Comets in August 2023.
In the final minutes of the semi-final against Campbeltown City, he fell to the ground and had difficulty breathing after hitting his head whilst attempting to make a pass.
Dr Christian Verdicchio, who was the referee, immediately attended to him to ensure he was able to breathe and saved his life as a result of his quick actions.
Irankunda was taken off the field and monitored before reporting to training the following day.
As cautioned by the doctor, he missed the Round of 16 clash against Western Sydney Wanderers at Marconi Stadium, and subsequently, the semi-final second leg against Campbelltown.
Before his injury, Irankunda made one appearance for the first team in the 2023 Australia Cup.
After 35 substitute appearances, he made his starting debut for Adelaide United on 20 October in a 3:0 victory over Central Coast Mariners at home.
Irankunda scored his first goal as a starter (and for the season) on 29 October from a free-kick in a 6:0 victory over Melbourne City at Coopers Stadium.
On 4 November, he was sent off in an Original Rivalry match against Melbourne Victory after receiving two bookings.
He missed the following league game against Sydney FC as a result.
He was later awarded the October nomination for Young Footballer of the Year for his preceding performances.
After the announcement of his move to Bayern, Irankunda returned from suspension on 26 November against Western United, managing one assist to Ben Halloran in a 3:1 win at Eureka Stadium, and later accumulating two assists in his next three league matches.
Irankunda eventually returned to the starting line-up after two further substitute appearances on 4 January 2024, being named against Wellington Phoenix at home.
Irankunda contributed towards Adelaide's two goals, including an assist to Hiroshi Ibusuki, in a 2:2 draw at full time.
In particular, Ibusuki acted as a mentor for Irankunda, forming a partnership which saw them both score against Sydney FC in a 4:3 victory at Allianz Stadium on 14 January; Irankunda scored once and his second of the season, assisted by Ibusuki, who scored a hat-trick.
On 9 February, Irankunda made his 50th league appearance off the bench in a 3:3 draw against Perth Glory at home, becoming the youngest player, aged exactly 18, to reach this milestone and overtaking Liberato Cacace's record of 19 years, 5 months, 10 days old.
In the post-match conference, Irankunda was criticised by the club for not meeting the club's standard, adding that he hasn't "seen enough happiness from him."
On 9 March, Irankunda scored his third goal of the campaign and the equaliser in a 2:1 home defeat to Melbourne Victory.
On 29 March, Irankunda scored his first professional hat-trick in a 4:1 home win over Western United.
Aged 18 years and 49 days, he became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the A-League Men and the second youngest to do so in Australian men's football history.
On 8 April, in the following match, Irankunda provided two assists in a 4:2 comeback win against Perth Glory.
He played his last match at home on 12 April, scoring a long-range goal, in a 2:1 defeat to Macarthur FC.
He added a goal to his tally in a 3:3 draw against Western United on 16 April.
In late April, Irankunda was announced in the 2024 A-League Men All Stars squad that was set to play against Premier League club Newcastle United.
Irankunda played his last match on 1 May for Adelaide United in a 2:0 away loss to Central Coast Mariners, allowing the Mariners to win the premiership title over runners-up Wellington Phoenix on the final matchday.
Irankunda departed with 16 goals in 60 league appearances, in total, for Adelaide United.
He was named the A-League Men's Young Footballer of the Year, jointly with Alex Paulsen, at the end of the season.
Bayern Munich
On 14 November 2023, Adelaide United announced the sale of Irankunda to Bayern Munich for a club-record fee, with the forward set to join the club on 1 July 2024.
Fabrizio Romano reported four days prior that Bayern Munich submitted an offer for Irankunda worth £3 million with add-ons.
It has also been reported by other outlets that Bayern submitted an initial offer of €750,000 with a final payment potentially rising to over €3 million if agreed conditions are met.
Irankunda arrived at Bayern Campus on 18 June and was set to train with Bayern Munich II before preseason began in Waidring on 21 June, and began training with the first team under manager Vincent Kompany in mid-July.
He was also included in the pre-season squad that toured in Seoul, South Korea, to play Tottenham Hotspur, who were managed by fellow Australian Ange Postecoglou at the time.
After impressing the staff to earn a call-up to the bench for a DFB Pokal match against SSV Ulm, Kompany praised Irankunda for his pre-season performances, leading him to train with both the reserve team and the first team for the 2023–24 season.
Before his loan move in January 2025, Irankunda made 19 appearances and scored five goals in all competitions for the second team in the Regionalliga Bayern and UEFA Youth League.
He made his competitive debut on 19 July in a 1:0 league win over Wacker Burghausen, and was named man of the match when he scored his first competitive goal, netting a brace, in a 4:1 win against Würzburger Kickers on 24 August.
Loan to Grasshopper
On 4 January 2025, he joined Swiss Super League club Grasshopper on a six-month loan until 30 June.
After three league appearances, Irankunda recorded three assists in the next four games in February and was awarded Player of the Month for February.
He returned to Bayern with one goal in 21 appearances to his name during his loan.
His lone goal came on 14 May against Yverdon, as, later that month, Grasshopper managed to avoid relegation after beating FC Aarau in the relegation play-off.
Watford
On 18 July 2025, Irankunda signed a five-year contract with EFL Championship side Watford.
On 24 August 2025, Irankunda scored his first goal for Watford, netting a 25-yard free kick in a 1:1 Championship draw away to Swansea City.
Sporting CP
On 15 August 2026, Irankunda signed a five-year contract with Primeira Liga club Sporting CP.
The transfer fee was reportedly €16 million, with a further €2 million in potential add-ons, making it the most expensive transfer involving an Australian player, surpassing Lucas Herrington's transfer record after just four days.
International career
Youth
Eligible to represent Burundi, Tanzania, or Australia, Irankunda received his first international call-up in September 2022 from Australia to represent the under-17 side in the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualification matches.
He made his debut against the Northern Mariana Islands, netting a hat-trick by the 38th minute before scoring two more goals to complete a 23:0 win.
He scored three more goals in the remaining group games, with one against Cambodia (10:0) and two against China (3:1).
Irankunda's performances helped Australia top the group and qualify for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup.
On 16 May 2023, Irankunda was added to the Australia squad set to play in the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup hosted in Thailand.
On 19 June 2023, in the second round of the group stage, Irankunda scored twice in 18 minutes of a 5:3 win over China.
His second goal, a powerful long-range strike, garnered widespread attention on social media due to its audacity and quality.
Irankunda scored in Australia's last game as his side was knocked out by Japan following a 3:1 defeat in the knockout stage.
In April 2024, Irankunda was omitted from the Australian national under-23 team that was set to compete in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, in contention to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Coach Tony Vidmar stated his absence was due to concerns over his maturity and to prevent further "damage" from pressure.
However, after Marco Tilio sustained an injury, Irankunda was offered a spot but declined to play his remaining club fixtures for Adelaide United.
Keegan Jelacic was called up instead in place of Tilio.
As a result of his last-minute response, and criticism from two A-League clubs, Football Australia conducted an independent review to suspend Irankunda from domestic competitions during the entirety of Australia's campaign, according to regulations for declining.
However, Irankunda was confirmed to be available for club selection since he was not formally called up by Vidmar or had no apparent conversation with Football Australia.
At the conclusion of the tournament, it was reported that Irankunda's omission was under review by Football Australia after the Olyroos failed to qualify without scoring a single goal.
Irankunda was called up to the Australia national under-20 team on 22 May 2025 for two friendlies against Argentina as part of preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. However, he withdrew from the squad on 1 June due to injury.
Senior
On 14 March 2023, Irankunda received his first international call-up to the Australia squad, being named as a "train on" player for the friendlies against Ecuador.
During his time in the squad, he befriended Awer Mabil, who called himself the "big brother" and helped him settle in with the seniors.
He also befriended youngster Garang Kuol, who had experienced a similar journey through the A-League. As a result of Riley McGree falling ill during his travel to Sydney, Irankunda was included in the match squad in both matches against Ecuador. Although he could have potentially become the youngest player to appear for the Socceroos, surpassing Duncan Cummings' record, he did not feature in either match.
In November, the Burundi Football Association announced its interest in Irankunda to represent its national team.
In May 2024, Irankunda stated that, despite pursuing a debut with Australia, he would consider playing for either Burundi or Tanzania if Graham Arnold continues to exclude him from future tournaments.
On 29 May, days after his comments, Irankunda was called up to the Australian national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualification matches in June against Bangladesh and Palestine.
Arnold expressed that he was surprised by Irankunda's consideration to play for other national teams but praised his maturity following his omission from the Olyroos squad.
However, after the first training session in Dhaka, Arnold said the issues were "for a headline" and had been resolved.
Irankunda made his international debut on 6 June, providing an assist in the opening goal to Ajdin Hrustic in a 2:0 win against Bangladesh during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Five days later, Irankunda scored his first goal for the Socceroos from a penalty in a 5:0 victory against Palestine.
At the age of 18 years and 123 days, he became the second-youngest player to score for Australia.
On 31 May 2026, Irankunda was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
He scored Australia's first goal of the tournament in their opening Group D game against Turkey in Vancouver, Canada, on 13 June 2026, which Australia won 2:0.
This made him the Socceroos' youngest-ever goalscorer at a World Cup, aged 20 years and 125 days.
After the game, he was named player of the match.
Player profile
Style of play
Irankunda is regarded by many within the Australian media as one of the greatest talents developed in the country.
His ability to draw fouls from opponents and his goal-scoring ability have received praise from the media and pundits.
In his breakthrough Adelaide season, Veart's protection of Irankunda led to a restriction of minutes on the pitch, having made all of his appearances off the bench, to ensure that the player develops properly.
Typically deployed on the right wing by Adelaide United manager Carl Veart, Irankunda utilizes his pace and dribbling to stretch the field wide and disrupt the opposition's tactics, effectively in the later stages of matches against fatigued opponents.
He typically takes the ball inside, using dribbling to move past opponents to create opportunities to shoot on goal or cross towards the centre.
Irankunda is known for his shot power on goal and often opts to shoot rather than pass when inside the goal area.
However, after gaining regular playing time in the 2023-24 season, Irankunda played a more creative and mature role, which used his pace, dribbling, and weaker foot to cut inside and lay off striking opportunities for forwards more frequently.
In a 4–3–3 formation, he would rotate between either wing of the field or directly in the centre to create goal-scoring opportunities.
Reception
Irankunda was considered one of the best Australian youth prospects and is a prominent figure in South Australian football, being named by Messenger Newspapers as "one of the top 20 South Australian athletes to watch in 2023," and listed on 5 January 2024 by The Advertiser as "one of the 24 South Australians to watch in 2024".
On 11 October 2023, Irankunda was named as one of the 60 best young talents in world football by The Guardian, being the only Australian listed.
In March 2024, Irankunda was ranked among the best 50 young talents born after January 2005 in the annual NXGN lists from GOAL.
L'Équipe also listed Irankunda in a similar category list of 30 players in June.
Irankunda was ranked by CIES Football Observatory as one of the top 100 Under-20 players worldwide in 2025.
Irankunda has also been compared to Alphonso Davies for their similar journey in football; Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana before residing in Canada.
As one of the youngest members of Adelaide United's squad at the time, Irankunda was subject to criticism for his "emotional outbursts" and lack of maturity on the football pitch, which gained attention from his send-off in the match against Melbourne Victory in November 2023.
Veart stated that the winger has been working on his frustrations and needs to be able to control his emotions.
Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund stated the club was aware of this, adding that due to his young age, "it's better when the boys are involved with heart and passion."
Irankunda would show improvement into the new year and received praise from Veart after displaying calmness and maturity during the later matches of the 2023–24 season, adding that "he's making good strides in that maturity."
Personal life
Irankunda supports Spanish club Barcelona and idolised Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué, who influenced him to play centre-back as a child before converting to a more attacking role by his coaches.
He modelled his playing style on Lionel Messi for his agility and power.
Despite Irankunda's support for Barcelona, his father's long-time support for Bayern Munich influenced his decision to sign for the German club.
In an interview in June 2023, Irankunda expressed his desire to retire with Adelaide United by the end of his career.
He is close friends with fellow professional footballer Mohamed Touré.