Nestory Irankunda’s impending move to Watford has won a glowing endorsement from Socceroos coach Tony Popovic, who is hopeful it can provide a springboard for the Australian wunderkind to earn his way back into the national team for next year’s World Cup.
But Popovic’s backing comes with a warning, and one that should be ringing in the ears of the 19-year-old as he nears the exit at Bayern Munich after just one year on the club’s books: “Talent’s not enough. It’s never been enough, and it never will be enough.”
Nestory Irankunda appears to be on his way out of Bayern Munich.Credit: Getty Images
Irankunda has reportedly agreed terms on a four-year contract with English Championship club Watford, who are prepared to pay a fee of $5.3 million (€3 million) for a full transfer from Bayern Munich. The five-cap Socceroo will depart having not played in a competitive game for the club, after spending the first part of the 2024-25 season playing for their reserves in Germany’s regional leagues and then a mixed six-month stint on loan at Swiss club Grasshoppers.
Though it appears to be the end of the road for the former Adelaide United ace at Bayern, he could yet find his way back to the Bundesliga champions if his career takes off in England. The deal is said to include not only a 50 per cent sell-on fee, but a clause that would enable them to buy him back at an agreed price in the future, which means they will remain directly interested in his progress.
Watford last played in the Premier League three years ago and have been a mid-table club in the Championship since.
Adelaide United, meanwhile, will net 10 per cent of the profit Bayern made on Irankunda, negotiated as part of his transfer to Germany; if the reported figures are accurate, that could equate to about $400,000.
Nestory Irankunda was named in a UEFA Champions League squad for Bayern Munich but never got on the field.Credit: Getty Images
“I don’t know if that’s definitely done yet, but if it is, wonderful,” Popovic said when asked about the transfer on Tuesday.
“If it’s not, hopefully that’s something that comes through for Nestory. I’m sure they’ve done their due diligence in terms of where he would fit in that squad and what plans they have with him as a young player. Hopefully, that will help him grow and take his game to another level. The World Cup’s 12 months away, so it’s exciting news.”
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Socceroos coach Tony Popovic.Credit: Getty Images
Popovic started Irankunda in his first match as Socceroos coach, a World Cup qualifier against China in October - just months after he had sealed his move from Adelaide to Bayern - but hasn’t named him in a squad since.
As such, Popovic could understand why some people might think he didn’t like or appreciate Irankunda.
“It’s far from that,” he said.
“We can only pick 23 to 26 players. We monitor all those boys, and we are delighted when they play well. We could give you a summary on every single [club] game that he’s played - and that’s not just him, that’s all the boys. We monitor them, we try and advise them, we want to see them grow and improve and it’s not just for now, it’s also for the future.
“[England] will be different for him than what he just experienced in Switzerland. The game’s a lot slower in Switzerland. The level will go up in terms of quality, intensity, also needing to back up after every three days at that same intensity. But he’s a confident young man. The more experiences he has in different leagues … that can only improve his overall game.”
Nestory Irankunda has featured only once for the Socceroos under Tony Popovic.Credit: Getty Images
It would also be wrong, Popovic said, to categorise Irankunda as a “problem child” based on his previous experiences in the A-League with Adelaide United and at youth international level with Australia, or previous comments by his ex-coaches and teammates about his maturity and professionalism - seemingly backed up by his lack of progression at Bayern.
Indeed, Irankunda is not the first prodigy to come through one of Popovic’s dressing rooms with blinding talent and an alleged attitude problem. When Popovic was an assistant coach at Crystal Palace, he remembers the way a 17-year-old Wilfried Zaha used to grind his gears every day.
“[He] was the most ill-disciplined, never came on time, wanted to walk out 10 minutes before training, didn’t want to do the pre-activation ... he frustrated me,” he said.
LoadingDougie Freedman, Palace’s coach at the time, told Popovic he was a bit “blinded” and needed to look at the bigger picture when it came to Zaha, who would go on to become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League.
“Dougie said: ‘Let’s understand the kid a bit more. Where’s he come from? What’s his home life like?’ As soon as Dougie made me go to his apartment and see how the boy was living, it totally changed me. And that’s something that has stuck with me ever since.”
When Popovic was at the Western Sydney Wanderers, he had Kerem Bulut, once tipped to be Australia’s next great striker, but who ruined his career through a mixture of poor discipline and criminal behaviour.
“For me, I just looked at the talent and said, ‘Can I help him?’ And I love that challenge,” Popovic said.
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