‘I’d love to race him’: Irankunda scores Socceroos double then set sights on Gout Gout
Nestory Irankunda scored twice on Tuesday night in Melbourne to propel the Socceroos to a 5-1 victory over Curaçao, before revealing he has another goal in mind
Celebrating with a backflip-infused, Michael Jackson-inspired dance, Nestory Irankunda scored twice on Tuesday night in Melbourne to propel the Socceroos to a 5-1 victory over Curaçao, before revealing he has another goal in mind.
The confident 20-year-old said he had been “watching from afar” with admiration the athletics phenomenon Gout Gout, and declared he wanted to race the national 200m champion.
“Two completely different sports, but we’re both athletes,” he said. “I’d love to race him one day.”
Although the pair are two of Australia’s most prominent young sporting talents with burgeoning international profiles, Irankunda confirmed he had not crossed paths or even communicated with Gout.
“There’s no connection there, but obviously I keep my eye [on him], he said. “I’m just proud of what he’s doing for the country and for himself.”
At the end of perhaps his best performance in a Socceroos shirt, the Watford forward was beaming when speaking to reporters underneath AAMI Park, as he clutched a box holding his trophy for the best player in the two-match Fifa Series.
Irankunda came off the bench on Tuesday and made an instant impact, helping turn a 1-1 contest into a 5-1 drubbing in the 25 minutes he spent on the pitch.
His first goal was created by a sharp dribble, the second a run in behind. The manner of both of them – the result of craft inside the area – was at the urging of Tony Popovic.
Irankunda said he knew his coach wants him to get in the box more. “It was a relief because we’ve been working on it for a long time, and to do it again tonight was great.”
While his backflip in front of fireworks to celebrate his first goal impressed the 16,764 fans who had attended the World Cup send-off, what Irankunda did next drew many more eyeballs on social media.
He caught a glove from a photographer friend, put it on his right hand and performed a Michael Jackson-inspired dance.
“[My friend] messaged me on Instagram asking me if I wanted to do something, because he knows I’m a huge fan of Michael Jackson and his music,” Irankunda said. “It was just great to bring it out and show people.”
The full-back Jordy Bos, who also scored, said the glove came out of nowhere. “I was ready to celebrate with him, and then he’s like: ‘Nah, nah, let me do this.’” But the defender Alessandro Circati said he was expecting the performance. “I’ve seen he’s been practising that in and around camp,” he said.
For a race with Gout, practice alone might not be enough. The captain, Mat Ryan, said Irankunda was deluded to think he could beat the sprinter, but he encouraged his Socceroo teammate to do it anyway. “Confidence is always key, so if he believes in himself then it’s a good step,” he said with a smile. “And sometimes the delusion can be a positive thing.”