Garang Kuol

Kuol’s tale begins not under stadium floodlights, but in the dusty surrounds of an Egyptian refugee camp.

The Kuol family arrived in Australia in search of safety, opportunity and a new beginning.

They found that in Shepparton.

From the time Kuol first pulled on his boots for Goulburn Valley Suns, there was a quiet current of belief around town that he could be special.

A levitating bicycle kick that just whizzed over the bar in a charity match at McEwen Reserve back in 2020 gave an inkling of the heights he would reach.

But not even a clairvoyant could predict that two years later, he’d share the pitch with the game’s greatest talent – Lionel Messi – on the World Cup stage.

His path to global football relevance is now well-known: an electric rise through the ranks at the Suns; standout performances that caught the eye of Central Coast Mariners scouts; and then, a breakout A-League campaign as a teenager that saw him signed by English Premier League giants Newcastle United in late 2022 two weeks after his 18th birthday.

But amid the headline moves and European trials, Kuol’s roots have never frayed.

His story, as much as it belongs to the Mariners, the Magpies, or the Socceroos, is also Shepparton’s.

His mother, Antonita, still speaks about the connection with deep emotion — not just pride for her son’s footballing feats, but gratitude for the community that embraced their family.

“We are so grateful, so thankful the way they (Shepparton) are still thinking about our boys,” she said.

“We’ll never forget about them. The support around the community is really a good thing we will not forget about Shepparton.”

Garang attended St Brendan’s Primary School, made lifelong friendships on and off the pitch, and spent weekends terrorising defences in Shepparton Junior Soccer Association matches.

More than anything, he grew up in a town that didn’t just accept his ambition — it helped shape it.

That grounding is what makes this Hall of Fame induction more than symbolic.

It’s a homecoming of sorts — even if he’s now stationed thousands of kilometres away in northern England.

Life abroad has brought new challenges, of course.

Kuol has yet to make his senior debut for Newcastle, spending time on loan at various European clubs to hone his craft.

But the maturity with which he’s navigated the transition — distance from family, cultural shift, life under the microscope — has made a deep impression on those closest to him.

“Overseas is a different experience,” Antonita said.

“Especially with the way you can’t stay with any relative around, it’s a different experience. But he always says, ‘Mum, this is soccer, this is how it is.’

“He is stronger than me … I remember, I went in November to England to visit him.

“We stayed there for three weeks and flew back to Australia. When I got back here, I was devastated — the way he just stayed there by himself.

“He is the one who makes me strong. He says, ‘This is how it is, this is soccer.’”

In that sentiment lies the essence of Kuol: resilient, driven, unflinching in the face of unfamiliar terrain.

He’s not yet a regular on the Premier League team sheet, but for a Shepparton kid to reach these heights, it’s already an extraordinary achievement.

And for the community that helped raise him, the Hall of Fame induction is both a celebration and a reminder: that one of Australia’s most exciting football stories began here, in paddocks and schoolyards, far from the roaring stands of St James’ Park.

Every chapter from here adds to his legend. But Shepparton? It will always be the start.