Australian wonderkid Garang Kuol has been picked the Socceroos World Cup 2022 squad despite never starting a senior game at club or international level.
The teenager is arguably the most exciting addition to Australia’s 26-man roster for the Qatar-based tournament after setting the A-League Men competition alight in 2022.
The Sporting News explains the story behind the Central Coast Mariners attacker, who will soon be joining a Premier League club.
Who is Garang Kuol?
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Garang Kuol is an 18-year-old Australian attacker, who was born in Egypt to parents from South Sudan.
He is currently playing in the A-League Men competition for Central Coast Mariners and has starred for the club, despite not yet making a start in a competitive senior match.
After making his debut off the bench for the Socceroos in a friendly against New Zealand in September, Kuol was selected by Socceroos coach Graham Arnold to be a part of Australia’s World Cup 2022 team.
Kuol will be joining Premier League side Newcastle United when the transfer window opens in January, and he is expected to be loaned out to continue his development.
Garang Kuol’s rise and why he has never started a senior match
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Because of his tender age and slight build, Kuol has been eased into senior football and has made an astonishing impact as a substitute.
He scored on his debut for the Mariners as a substitute in April 2022, before netting three further times as a substitute in three consecutive games at the latter end of the season.
His stunning form earned selection for the A-League All Stars friendly against Barcelona, where he showed he could match it coming up against some of the world’s best players.
Kuol was selected for the Socceroos squad for the two friendlies against New Zealand based on the All-Stars match and his substitute performances at A-League Men level.
He made his international debut off the bench in the second friendly versus the All Whites – helping to set up the second goal for Jason Cummings and looking dangerous in a 17-minute cameo.
In the current A-League Men season which started in October, Kuol has only made two appearances as a substitute for the Mariners, after missing the first two matches as he was with the Australian under-20 team.
In his Mariners appearances this season, Kuol had a hand in three goals as Central Coast came from behind to beat Western United 4-2, while he nabbed two assists in the 3-0 destruction of Western Sydney Wanderers.
When will Garang Kuol join Premier League side Newcastle United?
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Kuol will join Newcastle United when the transfer window opens in January 1 on a multi-year deal with the contract length not stipulated publicly.
Because he does not qualify automatically for a UK work permit, he will be loaned out to another European club, where he will be expected to develop.
The Central Coast Mariners received a fee of around AU$620,000 for selling Kuol to Newcastle.
What type of player is Garang Kuol?
Kuol is destined to be a striker with his clinical finishing a particularly strong asset.
However, at his young age with a slight build, he has mainly been deployed as winger so far where he has been able show extraordinary pace and trickery to beat defenders.
He also has shown he can work hard for the team defensively, with his press earning the Mariners a goal against the Wanderers in November.
What is Garang Kuol’s story?
After being born in Egypt to parents from South Sudan, Kuol moved to Australia as a refugee at the age of six with the family settling in Shepparton, where he would develop his football talents at the Goulburn Valley Suns.
Kuol eventually followed brother Alou to the Central Coast Mariners in 2021, where he would start off with their academy team.
Less than 12 months after joining the Mariners youth team, Kuol was an unused substitute against Western United before making his debut and scoring the following week versus Wellington Phoenix on April 4, 2022.
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