“Nestory can be a very special player and we believe he can realise his potential here, with us,” said Watford’s sporting director Gian Luca Nani.

“Nestory was extremely sought-after and thanks to our established scouting network and connections we were able to be ahead of others in the race to sign players of this potential.

"We are absolutely delighted to have signed Nestory and he’s added further to the huge feel-good factor around the training ground.”

Irankunda came to prominence in the 2021/22 A-League season when he made his professional debut and scored his first goal as a 15-year-old. He played 61 times for Adelaide United before leaving to join Bayern in June 2024 for an A-League record fee.

 

Irankunda did not play for Bayern’s first team but did represent the club’s reserve side before playing 21 times for Swiss outfit Grasshopper Zurich during a six-month loan spell.

He made his debut for Australia’s senior national team in the second phase of Asia’s qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June last year against Bangladesh and scored his first goal for the nation against Palestine later the same month.

Irankunda has appeared five times so far for the Socceroos, with his most recent appearance coming in the 3-1 win over China PR in the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26 in October.