Garang Kuol will grace the A-Leagues All Stars stage once more, albeit as an opposition player for Premier League giants Newcastle United.
Kuol is locked in to travel to Melbourne for Newcastle’s showdown with the A-League All Stars Men side at Marvel Stadium on May 24.
The 19-year-old Socceroos forward, who joined Newcastle in January 2023, announced himself with a standout performance against LaLiga juggernaut Barcelona in Sydney two years ago.
Then, playing for the All Stars having starred for Central Coast Mariners, Kuol put on a show and earned praise from Barca head coach Xavi as the All Stars took a 2-1 lead through 53 minutes before the Spanish powerhouse hit back during the remaining 28 minutes in a thrilling 3-2 victory.
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“He did really well,” Xavi told Network 10 post-match of the teenage Kuol. “He created many chances and almost scored.
“(Seventeen)?… Maybe he’s a big liar! At (17), that’s unbelievable. All the best for him, and all the players.”
Returning to Australian shores for the All Stars blockbuster presents Kuol with an opportunity to impress Newcastle boss Eddie Howe after two difficult loan spells away from St James’ Park.
The former Mariners sensation, whose older brother Alou is back playing for Isuzu UTE A-League champions Central Coast, made the move to Newcastle amid reported interest from Barca and Chelsea.
“Garang is a very promising young talent and we are excited that he’ll be continuing his development as a Newcastle United player,” former Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth said at the time after Kuol had scored six goals in 18 A-Leagues games for the Mariners, starting just three times.
“Our philosophy is to invest in our Academy and in exciting young players for the future, as well as in players required to make an immediate impact in the first team.”
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However, he has seen limited football at club level despite becoming the youngest player since Brazilian legend Pele to feature in a knockout game at the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar almost two years ago.
Kuol was immediately loaned to Scottish Premiership side Hearts in January last year, but amassed just 197 minutes of league action for the club. He did manage to score against Rangers in May.
A loan switch to Dutch Eredivisie outfit FC Volendam followed this season but the teenager has started just eight of his 15 league appearances, scoring once.
However, Kuol has not featured for Volendam since November – a 12-minute cameo against PSV. He has missed the past two Eredivisie games due to an unknown injury.
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