Aussie boom: Teens headline stars taking on the world

Football leagues across Europe are back in action.
Last season in Europe’s top five leagues (England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France) just one Socceroo, Denis Genreau, was featured in the competition.
However, this season five Australians and one notable coach (Ange Postecoglou) will feature in the English Premier League alone, with competition already underway.
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From young Aussies joining the pathways of some of the world’s biggest teams to the wunderkind preparing to make waves in the Bundesliga, here are the Australians to look out for in European football.
Massimo Luongo of Ipswich. Getty
Sacrificing his international career in favour of pursuing EPL success, Massimo Luongo sealed a long-awaited spot with Ipswich.
The risk of stepping away from his national team has seemingly paid off, with the 31-year-old a driving force in Ipswich’s back-to-back promotions into the premier league.
Luongo made his Socceroos debut under now Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou in 2014 and was one of the faces of the squad for the next five years.
He ignited his professional career with Spurs in 2011, however failed to receive game time in the club’s top team.
After various spells in the Championship and League One, Luongo’s career was revived.
The midfielder made 44 appearances for ‘the Tractor Boys’ in 2023/24 and is a strong contender to cement his position in the starting line-up.
He played 65 minutes in the club’s season opening defeat against Liverpool.
Cameron Burgess of Ipswich Town. Getty
A regular player for Kieran McKenna’s side in recent seasons, Cameron Burgess is the second Australian who will feature for Ipswich in 2024/25.
Burgess joined the club in 2021 as a defender but has yet to make significant progress within the team due to a series of setbacks with injury.
The centre-back previously played with Fulham before dropping to League One and Two fore more regular minutes.
Burgess will be under pressure to hold his position this season as Hull City centre-back Jacob Greaves, who was named in the 2023/24 Championship team of the season, arrives in Ipswich.
McKenna sidelined the star in the club’s opening match, but he is expected to feature across the season.
Joe Gauci of Aston Villa in action. Getty
The rising Socceroos star moved to Aston Villa from Adelaide United earlier this year, but has yet to make his debut for the club.
Gauci featured 76 times for Adelaide United with 16 clean sheets and a memorable 3-1 victory on debut.
In two national team appearances, the 24-year-old did not concede a goal. He made his debut in 2023.
Gauci will be hoping to dethrone Robin Olsen as the club’s favoured alternate with World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez unlikely to be demoted any time soon.
“I didn’t want to look back in 10 years time and think, ‘what if’,” Gauci told the Sydney Morning Herald on his signing.
“It was something that I couldn’t turn down.”
Garang Kuol of Newcastle United FC. Getty
Likely to spend another season on loan in Europe, Garang Kuol is the $300,000 question Eddie Howe must face.
Kuol played in the Eredivise with Volendam last season and made his competitive debut for the Magpies on Australian soil in May in the post-season friendly against Spurs.
But the 19-year-old has struggled to retain consistent game time for the various sides he has been part of since making the move to Newcastle in 2022.
“It’s always very difficult to say for certain what’s gonna happen with a player at this stage because there’s a long way to go before the season starts,” Howe said of Kuol in his post-match press conference in Australia.
“But possibly another loan spell for him I think will be important.
“He’s had a couple of loan spells now but I think he needs the next one to be a successful one.
“I think he needs the next one to be successful and we need him to play more game time and hopefully that’ll happen.”
Kuol was omitted from Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Japan last month due to a knee injury, prompting many to believe his Premier League debut may still be a while coming.
Nestory Irankunda and Manuel Neuer of FC Bayern Munich during a training session. FC Bayern via Getty Images
Rising Australian football star Nestory Irankunda has put forward a firm case for selection in Bayern Munich’s first team squad as his exciting cameo’s continue to capture the eyes of his rivals.
After signing with the German giants, there was debate as to whether the 18-year-old would be thrown into the first-team immediately or developed through the youth squad, but Irankunda has convincingly plead his case to earn some time in the top-flight opener.
But his recent performance in replacement of England captain Harry Kane in the club’s 3-1 victory over Austrian club WSG Tirol in Unterhacing saw the star elevated into training sessions with Vicent Kompany’s top men.
“He’s one of a few players, probably since Harry Kewell I’d imagine, who is capable of taking players on (at a world class level),” Stan Sport’s Craig Foster said.
“He’s so exciting, every time he gets the ball he wants to go forward, he wants to make something happen.
“He can score, he can assist as he did in that game for Bayern Munich. So he’s been a huge hit since he went there.”
Jackson Irvine, captain of FC St. Pauli. Getty
Set for his first taste of top-flight European football, Jackson Irvine will captain FC St. Pauli.
Irvine finished the 2023/24 league campaign for FC St. Pauli with six goals and nine assists.
The club has failed to feature in the league over the past 13 years, but with assistance from Irvine clinched a promotion in May.
The promotion is a promising sign for the star and Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, who will be hoping Irvine’s talent is elevated.
“We want to keep breaking records, carry on winning streaks and keep clean sheets,” Irvine said during a post-match interview earlier this year.
“Whether it’s a friendly, whether it’s a qualifier, whether it’s a game against one of the best teams in the world – the mentality never really changes.”
Connor Metcalfe of St.Pauli. Getty
Joining his Australian-born skipper, Connor Metcalfe will be one to watch in Germany.
The 24-year-old helped rescue St Pauli from a defeat in the DFB Pokal, with the match an unjust indication of what fans can expect of the team upon Bundesliga revival.
Metcalfe’s durability in the off-season and DFB Pokal has cemented his position as a regular starter.
He was elevated to Melbourne City’s senior roster in 2017 following a three-year stint in the club’s junior pathways system.
Off the back of back-to-back A-League titles, Metcalfe made the move to 2. Bundesliga with FC St Pauli.
Mathew Ryan of Australia. Getty
Australia’s captain has spent the most part of three years conquering various top-tier leagues and will protect the net for AS Roma.
In Europe alone, Ryan has played in three of the five leagues.
Ryan became the first-choice keeper for Brighton in 2017, with is four-year deal also including a brief stay with Arsenal.
The Socceroos star struggled to find his feet after parting ways with the club, but is looking to cement his spot with AS Roma this season.
AS Roma manager Daniele De Rossi has not confirmed who the number one goalkeeper for his side will be, however, it is likely Ryan will take out second to Serbian Mile Svilar.
The 32-year-old’s place on the Socceroos will be at immense risk if his time at Roma fails to deliver, with young guns including Joe Gauci and Paul Izzo producing strong performances.