Nestory Irankunda

Irankunda made his league debut at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium

In his first year for Adelaide United, Irankunda initially played with the reserve side.[6] After a couple of weeks, he started featuring for 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 squad for the Reds.[6][8] On 27 September 2021, Irankunda signed a scholarship contract (his first professional contract) with Adelaide United.[9]

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 player ever for Adelaide United,[10] when he made his debut against rivals Melbourne Victory, drawing 1–1 at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.[11][12] On 30 January, Irakunda scored his first league goal, a free kick in stoppage time to win the game 2–1 against Newcastle Jets.[13][14] 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.[15][16][17] 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.[18] 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.[19] His brief cameo won him the Tomas Dale Medal for his sporting manner in the club.[20] On 26 May, Irankunda was selected in the A-Leagues All Stars squad, alongside teammates Isaías Sánchez and Alexandar Popovic, to face Spanish giants Barcelona.[21]

In November 2022, Irankunda would miss the first Original Rivalry match of the 2022–23 season after facing a month suspension from the club for turning up late to several team meetings, as well as not doing the "chores" associated to being one of the club’s younger players.[22][23] Upon his return, Irankunda scored his first goal of the season in a home match against Brisbane Roar on 4 February 2023. Adelaide United won 2–1 at full time after Irankunda scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute.[24][25][26] His goal received media attention and praise from manager Carl Veart simply stating, "This is the talent that Nestor has."[27][28] Irankunda dedicated the goal to Spanish teammate and friend Juande,[29] who broke his leg in a 3–3 draw with Melbourne City a week earlier.[30] 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),[31] Melbourne City (4–2),[32] and Newcastle Jets (4–2).[33][34] He was awarded A-League Goal of the Month in February for his goal against Melbourne Victory.[35]

Troubled with disciplinary issues, Irankunda was openly criticised by the media for his rash actions. He notably starting a brawl in the match against Western Sydney Wanderers that led Wanderers' captain Marcelo getting sent-off for headlocking Irankunda after he provoked Calem Nieuwenhof. Another incident occurred on 23 April 2023 against Perth Glory when Irankunda received a booking for kicking the broadcaster’s pitchside microphone.[36][37][38] In the same match against Perth, Irankunda scored his 5th goal of the season in the 99th-minute of a 4–4 draw at the Perth Rectangular Stadium.[39] The goal brought his A-League career total to eight goals which surpassed Mohamed Toure's record as the competition’s highest under-18 goalscorer.[40] By the conclusion of the regular season, Irankunda was awarded the club's Rising Star accolade on 2 May, sharing jointly with Ethan Alagich for their performances during the season.[41]

In early May, beIN SPORTS Australia reported that Irankunda was in close talks with a move to German club Bayern Munich, although the forward later stated he won't be making a move to Europe in hopes of avoiding the mistakes of past Australian youngsters.[42][43] In light of this, Irankunda was asked about his transfer speculation by Bruce Djite, following a 2–0 victory over Wellington Phoenix, to which he jokingly responded, "Nah, nah I’m going to England. Bruce is my agent".[44] Irankunda would feature 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 in front of a Mariners' record crowd of 20,059 at Central Coast Stadium.[45] However, Irankunda failed to affect the match after facing a solid Mariners' backline that consisted of Nectarios Triantis and Jacob Farrell, who had successfully nullified his attacking attempts.[46][47]

During Adelaide's 2023–24 pre-season, Irankunda returned to the senior NPL side where he scored the winner in the Young Red's 4–3 elimination final victory against Adelaide Comets in August 2023.[48] In the final minutes of the semi-final against Campbeltown City, Irankunda collapsed to the ground, having swallowed his tongue after hitting his head whilst attempting to make a pass. Dr Christian Verdicchio, who was one of the match officials present, promptly aided him to ensure he would be able to breathe. Irankunda was soon taken off the field and monitored before reporting to training the following day.[49][50][51] As cautioned by the doctor, he missed the Round of 16 clash against Western Sydney Wanderers at Marconi Stadium,[52][53] and subsequently, the semi final second leg against Campbelltown.[54]

Prior to his injury, Irankunda made one substitute appearance for the first-team in the 2023 Australia Cup.[55] Subsequently, a month later, rumours of a transfer agreement between Adelaide United and Bayern Munich resurfaced again after German journalist Kerry Hau revealed Irankunda's interest in joining the German club.[56] 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, among other talents like Endrick, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Paris Brunner and Simone Pafundi.[57][58] After 35 substitute appearances, Irankunda made his starting debut for Adelaide United on 20 October 2023 in a 3–0 victory over Central Coast Mariners at Coopers Stadium.[59][60] During the match, he reached a maximum speed of 37.02 km/h, setting a new team record for fastest sprint in a match; only Kyle Walker from the previous season of the Premier League exceeded that speed, reaching a max 37.31 km/h.[61]

Irankunda is eligible to represent Tanzania, Burundi, or Australia at international level.[62] On 12 September 2022, Irankunda received his first international call-up from Australia to represent the under-17 side in 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualification matches.[63] 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.[64][65] He scored three more goals in the remaining group games, with one against Cambodia (10–0)[66] and two against China (3–1).[67][68] Irankunda performances helped Australia in topping the group and qualifying for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup.[69]

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.[70][71] On 19 June 2023, in the second round of the group stage, Irankunda scored twice within 18 minutes of the match. However, he missed a penalty in the 9th minute which prevented him from completing a hat-trick. The match ended with the Joeys winning 5–3 over China.[72] His second goal, a "world-class" powerful long-range strike, garnered widespread attention on social media due to its audacity and quality.[73][74] Irankunda scored in Australia's last game as his side were knocked out by Japan following a 3–1 defeat in the knockout stage.[75][76]

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.[77] During his time in the squad, he befriended Awer Mabil, who called himself as 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.[2][78]

As a result of Riley McGree falling ill during his travel from Middlesbrough to Sydney, Irankunda was included in the match squad in both matches against Ecuador.[79] Although he could have potentially become the youngest player ever to appear for the "Socceroos", surpassing Duncan Cummings' record, he did not feature in the matches.[80][81]

Irankunda, deployed on the right wing by Adelaide United manager Carl Veart, has shown significant improvement in his game. Blessed with pace and exceptional dribbling skills, Irankunda utilises these attributes to stretch the field wide and disrupt the opposition's tactics.[2] When near the goal, he adeptly takes the ball inside, using his dribbling skills to maneuver past opponents, with his crossing adding to his play.[82] Additionally, Irankunda often opts to shoot rather than pass when inside the goal area, resulting in both goals scored and missed opportunities.[4]

Physically, he excells in maturity and power, displaying explosive speed, balance, and strength.[4][83] Since breaking through at 15, Irankunda has showcased his creativity, flair, and fearlessness in taking on defenders with his speed and technical ability. His incisive touches and agility remain assets, particularly in the later stages of matches against fatigued opponents.[84]

Irankunda is regarded from many Australian media as one of the greatest talents developed in Australia.[2][3][7] His goal-scoring prowess received many plaudits from media and pundits who recognised his skills and techniques, and even compared his free kick goal against Newcastle Jets to that of Cristiano Ronaldo.[85] His ability to draw fouls from opponents, albeit too frequently, led to Carl Veart demanding that referees protect the young prospect more and punish opposing players for tackles that could harm him.[86] Veart's protection of Irankunda led to restriction of minutes on the pitch, having made most of his appearances off the bench, to ensure that the player develops properly. However, after seeing his effectiveness on the front-foot, the media suggest that he is ready to become a starter despite his fitness levels and young age.[87][88]

With his consistent and impressive performances during the domestic season, he would receive praise from his teammate Javi López and compared his development towards Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, stating, "At his age, I only saw Messi and him at this level. The power, the skills. Never in my life at 17 years of age have I seen a player like him and Messi".[89] This was agreed by many coaches including international managers who had witnessed Irankunda play who said that his talents and approaches from big clubs were good exposure for Asian football.[90]