A star is born.
No, we are not referring to the American musical drama film produced by Bradley Cooper. We are talking about Central Coast’s 17-year-old forward – Garang Kuol.
Garang is the younger brother of VfB Stuttgart striker Alou Kuol who also came through the ranks at Central Coast Mariners, before sealing a move to the Bundesliga.
Garangski, as his brothers and teammates like to call him, joined the Central Coast Mariners Academy in January 2021, after a two-week trial period with the side.
The youngster quickly forced his way into the Mariners’ senior squad and made his debut on the 21st of December against APIA Leichhardt in the FFA Cup. He scored just seven minutes after coming on.
Over the next month or so, he made two more appearances in cup matches, one of them coming in the FFA Cup Final against Melbourne Victory, where he had a positive impact off the bench.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Garang throughout the 21/22 season. He had to undergo a mid-season knee surgery due to an injury that sidelined him for almost two months.
As Nick Montgomery said, later on, that injury did delay Garang’s A-League debut, but it didn’t stop him from showing what he’s capable of.
He eventually made his league debut in a 5-0 win against Wellington, on the 5th of April 2022, in which he also scored his first A-League Men’s goal.
After that, he never looked back.
Kuol in numbers
The 17-year-old ended the season with four goals and one assist in nine games (including one in the ALM Finals), accumulating a total of 189 match minutes.
A small sample size, but a goal every 47.25 minutes makes Kuol the most efficient goalscorer in the whole A-League Men, putting him above players like Jamie Maclaren, Beka Mikeltadze, and Nick D’Agostino.
What’s even more impressive is the fact that Kuol managed to score his four goals from only five shots on target (10 at goal) and a total of 0.95 xG. That was the second-highest xG overperformance in the whole Mariners’ squad.
The Egyptian-born attacker also impressed the Australian audience with his excellent ball-carrying ability, good athleticism, and fast feet.
All these qualities earned him a call-up for the A-League All-Stars game against Barcelona at Accor Stadium. And on the big occasion, Garangski stole the show once again.
After coming on in the 55th minute, Kuol created a couple of good chances for his team and even came very close to scoring following a brilliant individual run.
The young gun’s mesmerizing performance was so good that it earned him praise from one of the all-time greats of the game in the face of current Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez.
What’s next?
Since the All-Stars game, there has been all sorts of talk regarding Kuol’s future and the possibility of him following in the footsteps of his brother and going to Europe.
Some reports even suggest that CCM have already received inquiries from big European clubs, but there has been nothing official at this stage.
Still, 17 and with only 12 senior appearances behind his back (all from the bench), Kuol might benefit from a few more seasons in the A-League Men’s competition.
Especially considering how his older brother, Alou, has struggled for minutes since his loan move to SV Sandhausen, Garang should definitely plan his next move very carefully.
