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When the Socceroos line up to face Paraguay for their final World Cup group stage match at midday (AEST) on Friday, they’ll be carrying with them more than just the hopes and dreams of Aussie football fans, they’ll be carrying the legacy of years of hard work and perseverance. None more so than four of Australia’s best – Nestory Irankunda, Awer Mabil, Mohamed Touré – who all came to Australia from African refugee camps, while veteran midfielder Miloš Degenek’s family fled Croatia when he was an infant.
And the world is officially waking up to what Aussie football fans have known for years. British football legend Gary Lineker took time to praise Australia’s “incredible” tournament run on his daily Netflix World Cup show, The Rest Is Football, highlighting how these individual journeys capture the true magic of the World Cup.
“Their journeys highlight resilience, the power of community, and the diverse, multicultural fabric of modern Australian football,” Lineker said.
Irankunda, Mabil, and Touré all grew up in Adelaide, honing their craft on the local pitches of South Australia before taking on the world, while Degenek arrived in Sydney in 2000. Now, they are representing the nation that gave their families a second chance. How good is that?
As they prepare to represent Australia again, here’s a look at the remarkable journeys of the four men redefining the modern era of Australian football.
Nestory Irankunda
- Age: 20
- Socceroos Debut Year: 2024 (against Bangladesh)
- Current Club: Watford FC (on loan from Bayern Munich)
As we all know by now, Irankunda stormed into the global consciousness after opening Australia’s 2026 World Cup campaign with an absolute worldie in the Socceroos’ 2-0 victory over Türkiye.
Born in a Tanzanian refugee camp to Burundian parents fleeing civil unrest, Irankunda’s family resettled in Adelaide when he was a child. It was there that his explosive raw talent was discovered. By 2021, he had signed a scholarship deal with Adelaide United, setting his meteoric rise in motion. Following a high-profile move from Adelaide to German heavyweights Bayern Munich, the explosive winger is now turning heads in England with EFL Championship side Watford.
Now 20 years old, the Bayern Munich star is already one of the youngest goalscorers in Socceroos history – and he’s just getting started.
Awer Mabil
- Age: 30
- Socceroos Debut Year: 2018 (against Kuwait)
- Current Club: CD Castellón (LaLiga 2, Spain)
Awer Mabil’s story is the definition of resilience. Born in Kenya after his parents fled the civil war in Sudan, Mabil spent his early childhood in the Kakuma refugee camp. It was there, playing with footballs fashioned out of rolled-up socks and plastic bags, that he first fell in love with the beautiful game.
After arriving in Adelaide in 2006, Mabil used football to navigate his new life. He quickly rose through the ranks to become one of Adelaide United’s youngest debutants. After a successful multi-year career across Denmark, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, the veteran winger now brings his lethal creative spark to Spain with Segunda División side CD Castellón.
Today, he stands as a veteran leader for the national team, a symbol of hope, and a co-founder of Barefoot to Boots – a charity dedicated to supporting refugees. In 2023, he was recognised as a Young Australian of the Year for his humanitarian work.
Mohamed Touré
- Age: 22
- Socceroos Debut Year: 2023 (against England)
- Current Club: Norwich City
The Touré name is quickly becoming royalty in Australian football. Mohamed’s parents lived as refugees in Guinea for 14 years after fleeing the devastating war in Liberia. Born in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, Mohamed and his family were supported by the UNHCR for years before finally securing resettlement in Australia.
Upon arriving in Adelaide, Mohamed’s father, Amara, wasted no time introducing his sons to the game. That passion clearly stuck. Following a stint in Denmark with Randers, the towering 22-year-old striker secured a transfer to English club Norwich City in early 2026, where he immediately lit up the EFL Championship.
Touré’s power, pace, and clinical finishing have made him one of the most exciting young forwards in the country.
Miloš Degenek
- Age: 32
- Socceroos Debut Year: 2016 (against England)
- Current Club: Red Star Belgrade (SuperLiga, Serbia)
A hardened veteran of the national team, Degenek has long been the defensive heartbeat of the Socceroos, bringing his elite European experience and uncompromising work ethic to the backline.
Born in Knin, Croatia, during the Croatian War of Independence, Degenek’s family was forced to flee their homeland as refugees when he was an infant, surviving a perilous journey to Serbia before eventually migrating to Sydney in 2000. Arriving with next to nothing, he used football as his anchor, rising through the AIS system before packing his bags for Europe. His decorated club career has since taken him across Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the MLS, and Serbia, where he has lifted silverware and featured heavily in the UEFA Champions League with Red Star Belgrade.
Now 32, the versatile defender is a proud two-time World Cup veteran whose resilience on and off the pitch serves as the ultimate blueprint for the next generation of Australian football.
As the Socceroos prepare for their next blockbuster clash on Friday, the impact of these four men already extends far beyond the pitch. They are proof that football is a universal language – and that Australia’s multicultural strength is our greatest superpower.
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