Alou Kuol makes Stuttgart debut in Bundesliga
Australia's Alou Kuol was finally given a run in the Bundesliga on Saturday (AEDT), almost two years after signing with VfB Stuttgart from A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners.
Kuol joined his younger brother Garang in running out in a top flight European league in the latter stages of a 2-1 defeat away to RB Leipzig. The win moved Leipzig one point off the summit, putting further pressure on league leader Bayern Munich ahead of its clash with Eintrach Frankfurt on Sunday (AEDT).
The 21-year-old forward scored seven goals in his first 13 appearances for Stuttgart's reserve side, including a goal on his Stuttgart II debut, generating much excitement inside the club. He became something of a viral video star last year when he nailed a stunning scorpion kick goal for Australia Under-23 in a 1-1 draw with Iraq Under-23 at the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup.
Much of the headlines for the Kuol family of late, though, have centred on Garang after he made history when he was selected in Australia's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the youngest Socceroos call-up in FIFA World Cup history at the age of 18.
In the same month he was selected for Australia, Garang signed for Premier League side Newcastle United, from where he has since been loaned to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.
Alou was born in Sudan three years before his parents fled the war-torn nation for Egypt, where Garang would be born. The family eventually made it to Australia as refugees, arriving in Sydney in 2005 and settling in Shepparton, Victoria.
The brothers both rose to prominence through the Central Coast Mariners academy, Alou moving to Germany in April 2021, where he signed a four-year contract.
