Who is Nestory Irankunda, the man responsible for Australia's goal against Seleção Brasileira?
Nestory Irankunda, 20, scored a goal for Australia against Brazil in a friendly at Townsville. Born on the refugee camp in Tanzania, he grew up in Australia, played for Adelaide United, spent time with Bayern, Grasshopper and Watford, and now plays for Sporting.
♪ I've been waiting for you ♪
Oh , my God .
Australia faced Brazil in a friendly match at Townsville on Friday morning, with 20-year-old Nestory Irankunda conceding an own goal after 22 minutes of the second half.
As roots: from Tanzania to Australia
Irankunda was born on 9 February 2006, in a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania. His parents left Burundi because of the civil war and when he was just three months old his family moved to Australia where he grew up playing football.
A trajectory to Europe
The striker came through the youth ranks of Adelaide Croatia Raiders and then joined Adelaide United. He made his professional debut at 15 years old, becoming only the second youngest player to score a goal in A-League history.
In August of that year, Irankunda was loaned out to Grasshopper in Switzerland and then signed for Watford in England where he played 42 matches during the 2025-26 season.
Life of the Party no Sporting
He made his debut for the Portuguese club in August, against Alverca.
"It's a great atmosphere, exactly what I expected", said the Australian on the occasion.
In September, after Sporting's victory over Nacional, the striker returned to talk about his start at the club.
"I do my best to work for the team on a defensive and offensive level", he told Sporting TV.
POL chemical age
Before signing in Europe, Irankunda faced a controversial situation. In 2024, the Australian coach and agent Tony Basha posted on social networks without presenting evidence an accusation that the striker would have five years older than his officially registered age.
Irankunda was sued for defamation, the case ended in a financial settlement outside of court and Basha was forced to recant his accusations.
Where it all comes from
De campo de refugiados na Tanzânia has scored against Seleção Brasileira: a atuação desta sexta-feira, em Townsville, projeta Irankunda no cenário internacional em uma fase de adaptação ao futebol português. For the clubs that played in it Sporting à frente , the friendly served as a showcase of what the young man could offer us for years to come, and the game follows as a thermometer of Seleção's momentum in this period of FIFA testing.
Warning
The forecasts and analyses presented in this article constitute exclusively editorial opinion, elaborated on the basis of information and public data available at the date of publication. They do not guarantee, in any way, any future result. This site does not offer, promote or recommend any form of betting or gambling. Participation in betting is expressly prohibited for persons under 18 years old. Gamble responsibly.
Source: Gazeta Esportiva
Comments (0)