Bayern Munich are always looking to acquire the top young talents in world football and aren’t afraid of looking outside Europe. They bagged a gem in the form of Alphonso Davies from Canada a few years ago and are now being linked with another relatively unknown star.
The Bavarians are reportedly close to signing Adelaide United forward Nestory Irankunda. The 17-year-old is not exactly that well renowned among European football fans. But a simple search of his highlights has many fans raging with excitement.
Irankuda has not even made 50 professional appearances for the A-League side yet. But some of his incredible goals have fans ringing the Bundesliga heavyweights with praise. Indeed, a compilation of his best goals have fans convinced that Irankunda is the best in his generation in terms of ball-striking.
But his impressive long-range shooting ability isn’t the only exciting thing about the youngster. Irankunda was born in Tanzania before he moved with his parents to Perth, Australia when he was just three months old. He is an Australian citizen who has also played for Australia’s U-17 national team, scoring a whopping 11 goals in 7 games for them.
Irankunda started his footballing journey at the age of 12, when he joined up the Adelaide Croatia Raiders side’s youth academy. After just two years, his impressive work saw the Adelaide United side sign him after he turned 15. Soon after joining their youth set-up, he made 30 appearances for their youth team and scored six goals in 30 appearances.
A year after joining Adelaide’s youth set-up, Irankunda made his debut for the Adelaide United FC senior team in 2022 at the age of 16. He has since scored nine goals and bagged two assists in 39 appearances for them, and a majority of those have come from the bench.
As a substitute for Adelaide United, he consistently emerges in crucial moments, scoring late-game goals. Irankunda’s knack for clutch performances is propelling him into the spotlight, making him a notable figure in Australian football.
Well, Bayern are clearly major admirers of the young winger’s talents and ability. They are reportedly ready to pay a major £3m fee (5.75 AUD) plus add-ons to sign him in 2024. Fans can’t get enough of how amazing the Bundesliga heavyweights’ recruitment has been in roping in young talents for cheap.
Apart from Irankunda, they also managed to sign the likes of Jamal Musiala, Mathias Tel and Davies for dirt cheap in recent years. But the Aussie forward will add more depth and dimension to their young core with his presence. Apart from his scoring prowess, the 17-year-old is also blessed with a number of other exciting traits.
He is rapid with the ball at his feet, being able to dribble past defenders with ease and leaving them in the dust. Irankunda can also create chances really well with his pin-point final passes and has a wicked celebration which sees him do a number of backflips akin to former Manchester United star Nani.
The teenage sensation can play in either of the wings, though he thrives in that right-wing role. That is because he’s shown himself capable of scoring goals from narrow, awkward angles from the right.
While there are a lot of positives to Irankunda, he is not exactly perfect. The 17-year-old struggles from temperamental issues. He tends to lose his composure at times and gets frustrated when hassled by aggressive defenders. Irankunda saw his first-ever red card in Adelaide’s’ 1-1 draw against Melbourne Victory recently, after he lashed out at the referee for failing to book the defenders for constantly fouling him.
He will probably need to become mentally stronger to thrive in Europe, because defenders can use this against him. With that being said, Irankunda still has his best years ahead of him and has much to learn. When it comes to his sheer potential, however, the 17-year-old has the talent to become Asian football’s next big superstar and the next great find for Bayern Munich.
