Nestory Irankunda is determined to “prove” himself at Bayern Munich as he takes his first steps at the Bundesliga powerhouse.
Irankunda is settling in Munich after the A-Leagues product arrived from Adelaide United at the end of the 2023-24 season.
The 18-year-old established himself as a crowd favourite among fans in Adelaide, and beyond, and a drawcard across the Isuzu UTE A-League, where he is both the youngest player to have reached 50 appearances and the youngest-ever hat-trick scorer in the competition’s history.
Irankunda, who scored his first international goal for the Socceroos last month, told Bayern media: “I want to prove myself here and show why the club brought me in.
“Of course, playing a Bundesliga game for this club would be a great feeling.”
Irankunda is not the only Australian player at Bayern, with former Central Coast Mariners goalkeeper and Aussie youth international teammate Anthon Pavlesic also part of the youth side.
“I feel good, am very happy to be here. I’m excited to get started and work on my fitness and skills in the weeks to come,” said Irankunda.
“They [coaching staff and teammates] gave me a great welcome and made it easy for me to get to know them. I get on really well with some of the guys, like [Noel] Aseko. I was already chatting to him before I arrived here.”
The gun forward scored eight goals in a memorable final season in Adelaide, where he was named in French publication L’Equipe’s top 30 U20 players in world football.
Irankunda scored 16 goals during his time with the Reds – the most of any teenager in Isuzu UTE A-League history.
Asked how he reacted to Bayern’s initial interest, he said: “I was as the Asian Cup when I got the news that Bayern were interested in me.
“It was sort of a shock when I learned about it for the first time. When I spoke with the bosses, I still couldn’t really believe it. I only really realised it was real after another phone call.”
