Have Bayern Munich unearthed another Alphonso Davies? That is the question being asked as Australian sensation Nestory Irankunda takes the Bundesliga powerhouse by storm.
Irankunda swapped boyhood Isuzu UTE A-League side Adelaide United for Bayern at the end of 2023-24 and the 18-year-old has hit the ground running, albeit in pre-season.
The A-Leagues graduate made it two goals in two games for Vincent Kompany’s Bayern in their underwhelming 1-1 draw with four-tier side FC Duren on Sunday.
Irankunda came off the bench and scored, having sat out the youth team’s league match the day prior, with the Socceroo tipped to be part of this week’s South Korea tour to face Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham.
Among the goals and assists in the 14-1 rout of ninth-tier Rottach-Egern, Irankunda spared Bayern’s blushes over the weekend and he was a constant threat throughout on a disappointing day for the German juggernaut, who had fellow Aussie Anthony Pavlesic among the substitutes.
“Despite the fact that many players are still absent, you expect that you embrace the game differently and a different willingness is there,” said Bayern’s director of sport Max Eberl.
“The second half was considerably better than the first. When the internationals aren’t there yet, players really want to play their way into focus – that didn’t happen today!
“The young lads, on the other hand, are doing well. It was like a cup game with highly motivated opponents, who I pay great respect to. Nevertheless, we should win the game.
“The majority of the internationals will come back now and be on the Asia tour, then we have a short time until the cup game. We need to keep getting used to each other, keep internalising the new ideas in the short time we have.”
After the game, Bavarian Football Works – part of SB Nation, heaped praise on Irankunda.
They compared Irankunda with star Canada international Alphonso Davies, who was plucked from MLS via Vancouver Whitecaps in 2018.
“Preseason performances don’t mean much, but Irankunda is one of the few players making a positive impression on this Bayern team so far,” they wrote.
“The Australian forward instantly changed the game once he came on, managing to win 1v1 duels that eluded Bryan Zaragoza for the preceding 60 minutes. He got behind the Duren defenders and was the first player to actually unsettle their low block, which allowed Bayern to gain some momentum and eventually score. Even with an experienced first-teamer like Serge Gnabry on the pitch next to him, Irankunda stood out as the most dangerous player on the pitch.
“Hopefully, Kompany will take him to the Asia Tour and focus on his continued development, given the current situation that Bayern have on the wings. It’s practically unheard of for a youngster from the A-League to make it onto the starting XI of a European giant, but it was also unheard of for a teenager from MLS to do it before Alphonso Davies was discovered by Bayern.
“Maybe lightning can strike twice.”
