To those who know Australian football’s newest star, Nestory Irankunda has always been different.
But it wasn’t just for his footballing talent, his personality caught the eye even as an early teen.
Airton Andrioli was the technical director for South Australian soccer when he was told about this prodigious talent in the Adelaide area, so he felt he needed to go and see for himself.
And what the Brazilian coach witnessed was an accurate advert of what Irankunda was capable of.
Andrioli said: “He did what he normally does, scored a bomb of a goal from outside the box.
“And then the coach took him off and he was not happy.
“He ripped his shirt off and chucked it on the ground, just next to the bench when I was watching the game.”
For some scouts, that would be an instant display of poor attitude and a difficult character.
For Andrioli?
It added an extra element to the Australian striker’s game on top of his ability.
The Brazilian said: “He has a lot of good attributes as a footballer, speed, low centre of gravity, very busy on the pitch and then being upset because the coach took him off.
“I saw that as a positive thing because he wanted to be on the pitch playing football.
“Maybe somebody else will look at that and say, ‘oh no, he's not good for us because of his discipline.’
“I always saw that as one of those things that you can channel that in the right direction to be very positive.”
Andrioli was keen to take the young Irankunda under his wing, firstly with the federation and then when he moved to Adelaide United in 2015.
But that move to a more structured environment was something that the Australian had never experienced before in football, and at first struggled.
Andrioli, who was the head of youth football at Adelaide United, said: “We had to emphasise to the young players a bit of discipline and learning the craft of becoming a professional player, and he wasn't used to it at all.
“So when he came into the Adelaide new system, many people looked at him and thought, ‘he's a bit different, he doesn't quite fit the stereotype of a typical Australian player.’
“He was very introverted and actually I felt like in the beginning he didn't feel very comfortable with that because he just loved playing the game and he was more street-wise.
“So he felt a little bit uncomfortable, but I knew that every time he was on a football pitch, that's when he was able to express himself and he was always very confident about not just scoring goals but scoring great goals.”
At times, Andrioli found managing Irankunda difficult at times, even the Australian’s dad admitted to the Adelaide coach that he struggled at times with his son.
But whenever faced with adversity, the forward has always dealt with it his own way, and often comes out the other side with success.
The 20-year-old was born in a refugee camp in Tanzania to parents of Burundi descent and moved to Australia when he was three months old, settling in Adelaide.
It is a city that is a cultural mixing pot, and unlike many areas of Australia have a rich football interest, which Irankunda has only added to.
Joshua Smith, a founder of a sports charity in South Australia, said: “Many migrant families were moved towards Adelaide for visa and settlement reasons, so it became a relatively small place with a lot of different nationalities and cultures, many who love football.
“Because Adelaide doesn’t have the same rugby league or rugby union dominance as some other parts of Australia, football has been able to become a real melting pot of cultures. That mix of backgrounds, street football, club football and community passion has helped produce a lot of talent.”
When he was growing up, there was little in terms of Australian role models that had been on a similar path to his, so he was paving a way for himself.
But it wasn’t a journey that he was just taking, he met many other aspiring footballers who had migrated to Adelaide or were children of migrants.
Two of them, Mohamed Toure and Awer Mabil, are Socceroo teammates and great friends.
Andrioli also coached Toure as a youth player, and he said: “I think Mo could be Nestory's agent if he wanted to. They get along really well.
“Mo was quite the opposite to Nestory. He's more the experienced guy, the one that does the talking in a smooth way.
“Mo understood, he grasped what it takes to become a professional footballer a little bit earlier, and he was always more of a professional in his approach, very well spoken, people liked to be around him.”
Toure was born in a refugee camp in Guinea and, like Irankunda, moved to Australia before he was one.
He came from a family that loved football, with two of his brothers playing football professionally, but Mo was the standout.
Smith said: “What made Mohamed unique was how authentic he was from such a young age. He was always himself. He had confidence, personality and freedom in the way he played, but it never felt forced. That authenticity is a big part of what made him stand out.”
The pair, who now both play in the Championship, are now able to create history for their country.
A win in the round of 32 against Egypt would be the first knockout victory for Australia but in the eyes of people who have worked with the pair, they have already become important inspirations that their young selves didn’t have.
Andrioli said: “Two years ago, people came and asked me the question, ‘Do you think Nesta is going to make it?’
“And my answer was always the same, he already did.
“Because when he came onto the scene and played for Adelaide United, it was absolutely one of the best things that happened for football in South Australia because it's so exciting to see him.
“Everyone wants to come and watch him play and would think ‘I want to be the next Nestory.'
“He's inspired the next generation, even though now he's gone to another level, he continues to improve.”
Smith added: “These are the types of players who can make our game great. They represent the communities they come from, but they also inspire the next generation of kids who can look at them and think, “That could be me.”
“For young players from migrant and refugee backgrounds, seeing people like Mohamed and Nestory succeed is incredibly powerful. It shows them there is a pathway, and that their story and background can be a strength.
“They are now the face of football in Adelaide, and hopefully part of the future of football in Australia.”
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