Adelaide United wonderkid Nestory Irankunda played his final match in the Isuzu UTE A-League on Wednesday, completing 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss to Central Coast Mariners.
The 18-year-old, who is off to German giants Bayern Munich after featuring in the A-Leagues All Stars’ clash with Newcastle United on May 24, was powerless to stop Mark Jackson’s Mariners clinching their first Premiership in 12 years on a wet night in Gosford.
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Irankunda bid farewell to the competition he leaves with the best highlights reel of any teenager in history with a beautiful interview on Network 10.
Speaking to reporter Ben Homer, the teenager said that he feels he has proved that he is not the selfish player some thought he was when he first burst onto the scene and that he hopes to spend over a decade in Europe before returning home for a swansong in Australia.
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“I reckon I’ve done pretty well. In the three years I’ve played here, I’m really proud of myself for how far I’ve come. Obviously I’ve had a decent season, so really happy here,” he said.
“I reckon I’ve shown that I can play with my teammates a bit more, not just all by myself. I’ve shown that I’m not selfish. I’m a team player. That is a big improvement that I’ve shown over the last three years I’ve been here.”
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He added: “I want to be the best Australian player possible. That is one of my goals. I’m going to work really hard to achieve that and I don’t want to come back to the A-League. I would love to, but it’s not what I want, I don’t want it to happen too early.
“Hopefully I can have a few good seasons there, 15 years, maybe my whole career and then come back to the A-League for my last few years.”
Irankunda departs with 16 goals in 59 matches for Adelaide United, easily the highest goals tally by any player 18 or under in the history of the competition.
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All of Australian football will hope that his move to Bayern is a success and that the Bundesliga club can nurture one of the greatest talents ever to emerge in the Isuzu UTE A-League into a global star.
“He’s an incredible talent,” Network 10 expert Andy Harper said on Paramount+.
“We’ve loved watching him. We wish him all the best.
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“I think the turnaround for Nestory in the last maybe six weeks of the season has been really noticeable.
“Very clearly in the last 6-8 weeks he’s grown again. Really importantly too as he takes this step into European football.”
Speaking in his post-game press conference, Reds boss Carl Veart suggested that he believes Irankunda is going to surprise people when he lands in Bavaria.
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“Nes has come a long way this season,” he said.
“My message to him is to just keep doing what he does.
“Everyone expects him to be the complete player now; he is still an 18-year-old kid.
“He just needs to keep working, I’m sure he is going into a growing environment, they’re going to really look after him there.
“People ask me if they will just loan him out, but I have no doubt that when he gets there he will surprise a lot of people.”
