Nestory Irankunda was born in a refugee camp in Tanzania - but 20 years later he was scoring in the World Cup for Australia.
His personal story, which included a stint on Bayern Munich's bench, reached its zenith in Vancouver on Saturday with the opening goal in the 2-0 win over Turkey.
He marked the classy run-and-strike by copying the famous celebration of his Australia hero Tim Cahill, who used to shadow box the corner flag.
"Timmy Cahill’s my biggest inspiration when it comes to football, him and Lionel Messi. Tim Cahill, Australia’s greatest in my opinion, and I just thought if I scored I’d do the same as him, and I got to do it," the Socceroos' youngest World Cup scorer said.
His parents, originally from Burundi, emigrated to Australia after his birth in Tanzania and settled in Adelaide.
Bayern signed the forward from Adelaide United in 2024 and he is now at English second-tier side Watford.
His top speed on the pitch has been measured at 37 kilometres per hour.
Awer Mabil and Mohamed Touré are also in Australia's squad and have similar biographies to Irankunda.
Mabil was born to South Sudanese parents in a refugee camp in Kenya, while Toure's parents are from Liberia and he came into the world in Guinea.
