FIFA World Cup 2026: No one can play like Messi, I try to base my game around him, says Australia's Irankunda

Nestory Irankunda credited Football icon Lionel Messi as a major influence, using the Argentine star's agility and strength as key inspirations for his own style of play.

Nestory Irankunda credited Football icon Lionel Messi as a major influence, using the Argentine star's agility and strength as key inspirations for his own style of play. Irankunda also revealed that Tim Cahill is his role model, saying he is his biggest inspiration and described his goal against Turkey as a moment of great personal pride.

Cahill became the first to play four FIFA World Cup tournaments for his national side in 2018. While long since retired, the 46-year-old remains an inspiration to many young hopefuls climbing through the ranks in Australia. Irankunda needed less than 30 minutes on his FIFA World Cup debut to etch his name into Australian football history.

Showcasing his trademark blistering pace, the 20-year-old raced onto a long ball, surged past a defender, and finished emphatically to open the scoring in Australia's 2-0 victory over Turkiye. The goal made Irankunda the youngest Socceroo ever to score at a FIFA World Cup, marking a memorable milestone in his international career.

"No one can play like him (Lionel Messi), but that is how I try to base my game. He is really agile and powerful, so I try to base my game around him," Irankunda said as per Olympics.com. "Cahill was my biggest inspiration. I look up to him and want to be like him one day. I'm really, really, really proud of myself [for the] goal [against Turkiye]. Just the way [Cahill] played, he played with that hunger, and he gave his all for this country; you can see that with all the goals he scored for the nation," he added. (ANI)