A-Leagues teenage sensation Garang Kuol has signed his first professional contract with Central Coast Mariners.
The 17-year-old, who turned heads – including Dwight Yorke and Xavi’s during his A-Leagues All Stars cameo against Barcelona – has committed to the Isuzu UTE A-League club for the next two seasons.
His All Stars cameo generated “huge interest from some of the biggest teams in world football”, according to the Mariners, but he will remain at the club as he looks to build his first team experience.
“Monty [Nick Montgomery] and Serg [Sergio Raimundo – Assistant Coach] have had belief in me since day one which something I will never forget,” he said.
“Football is my number one goal in life so I just want to be playing consistently and I am very excited to be here alongside a great bunch of boys and can’t wait for next season.”
He added: “This is only the start for me and I am keen to develop more, learn more and become a better player under Monty and Serg.”
Mariners Head Coach Nick Montgomery worked closely with the teenager in the Mariners’ Academy and will now play a key part in his step into full-time professional football.
“I brought Garang to the club as a 16-year-old into the Academy program and what he has achieved in this short space of time doesn’t surprise me as he is a massive talent,” he said.
“He is a quiet kid off the field but most importantly does his talking on the field, is lethal in front of goal and a player who likes to go at defenders 1v1 and we saw that with the performances he produced off the bench at the back end of last season.
“Garang isn’t fazed by anything and is very level-headed, which is why he made Barcelona seem like an easy assignment and in the process, being an inspiration for all kids in this country.
“It gave our club great pride to see him make the match his own. I look forward to working with him for the next two years at the club and developing him further to become one of the A-League’s most exciting talents in a long time.”
Kuol is the latest talent to emerge from the Mariners Academy, following in his brother Alou’s footsteps.
The club signed the teen from Shepparton in Victoria, and at 16, he made his first team debut against APIA Leichhardt in the FFA Cup Quarter Final where he came off the bench and scored in the 6-0 win. He was part of the rest of the club’s FFA Cup run, including time on the park in the final.
With his brother, Alou, having left for a move to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, Garang ensured fans didn’t have to wait too long to see another Kuol in Mariners colours.
Kuol’s impact has been instant.
At 17 years of age, he scored with almost his first touch in the Isuzu UTE A-League against Wellington in April in a 5-0 win, and came within inches of doing the very same on the biggest stage, against Barcelona in front of 70,000 fans.
The big stage, seemingly does not intimidate the teen, who also scored the match winner in an F3 Derby this season – one of his three goals he has already bagged.
The Egyptian born attacking talent will now look to build up his match minutes at the Mariners, the club that discovered him, with the coaches who brought him through after luring him from Victoria.
