Nestory Irankunda became Australia's youngest World Cup goalscorer after opening the scoring 27 minutes into a 2-0 win against Turkey in Vancouver. The victory puts Australia within reach of the knockout stages.
The 20-year-old Watford winger finished a blistering counter-attack before performing a knee-slide and boxing the corner flag in tribute to former Socceroos talisman Tim Cahill. Irankunda has now scored six goals in 16 appearances for Australia.
"It is f****** unreal and a dream come true," Irankunda said at full time. "It feels amazing. You've got to thank the staff, you've got to thank the nation. They've all had the belief in me to do so well."
"Timmy Cahill is my biggest inspiration when it comes to football," Irankunda said. "Tim Cahill is Australia's greatest and I just thought if I scored I would do his celebration." He has also been known to copy Michael Jackson, wearing a white glove in March when he scored in a 5-1 thrashing of Curacao.
Journey from refugee camp to Adelaide
Irankunda was born in 2006 in a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania. His Burundian parents, Gideon and Dafroza, had fled their homeland due to civil war. He was the fourth of eight children born in Nyarugusu, one of the largest refugee camps in the world with an estimated 150,000 inhabitants.
His name Nestory is a variant of Nestor, meaning "one who returns home." His family moved to Perth when he was an infant before settling in the northern suburbs of Adelaide when he was seven years old, where he caught the football bug.
Career path from Bayern Munich to Watford
Irankunda rose through the youth system at Adelaide United to become a first-team star. He caught the eye of Bayern Munich, the team supported by his father, and moved to Germany in the 2024-25 season.
He played for Bayern Munich reserves and honed his craft in training by attempting to dribble past Eric Dier and crossing for Harry Kane. Following a loan spell at Swiss club Grasshopper, he signed permanently for English side Watford last summer.
"It was a hard decision but obviously my biggest goal for me is to play at the World Cup," Irankunda told Sky Sports last summer. "The 2026 World Cup is around the corner and I have to play minutes, I wasn't playing minutes. It has always been a dream of mine to play in England."
During the season he turned 20, Irankunda recorded four goals and five assists for Watford to cement his national team place. He currently has 139,000 followers on social media.
Australia teammate Mohamed Toure, a fellow refugee sensation who has known Irankunda since childhood in Adelaide, has nicknamed him "Houdini" and believes he can become the Jude Bellingham of Australia.
"I've seen a lot of good players but sometimes you have a special talent and he's that," Toure said. "If he puts in the work and stays grounded I think he'll go beyond the potential many people already say he has. He'll surpass that."
