Garang Kuol

Garang Kuol
Born	Garang Mawien Kuol (2004-09-15) September 15, 2004 Egyptian refugee camp
Occupation	Professional soccer player
Years active	2021–
Known for	Playing for Newcastle United and the Australian national team

Garang Mawien Kuol (born 15 September 2004) is a professional soccer winger currently playing for Newcastle United. Born to South Sudanese parents in a refugee camp located in Egypt, he represents the Australian national team.

Early life

Kuol entered the world in an Egyptian refugee camp, born to Mawien and Antonietta Kuol, who are originally from South Sudan. His family escaped the conflict in South Sudan, relocating first to Egypt before settling in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia in 2005. Growing up in regional Victoria, Garang was introduced to football by his brother Kuol and trained with his siblings Teng and Alou Kuol. Both Garang and Alou found their football inspiration in Australian players such as Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano. He started playing youth football at Shepparton Soccer Club before moving to Goulburn Valley Suns, where he spent five years developing through both youth and senior levels until he was 15.

Central Coast Mariners

In January 2021, Kuol joined the Central Coast Mariners Academy alongside his brother Alou Kuol. At just 16 years old, he made his debut for the senior NPL team on 14 March, stepping up due to absences in the main squad. Later that year in December, he earned a call-up to the A-League squad for the FFA Cup fixture against Wollongong Wolves and scored on his professional debut shortly after coming off the bench during a 6–0 victory over APIA Leichhardt.

Although illness sidelined him for the following match, Kuol returned as a late substitute in the final, where he assisted a consolation goal despite a 2–1 defeat to Melbourne Victory. He made his A-League Men debut on 5 April 2022 by scoring in a commanding 5–0 win against Wellington Phoenix. His efforts drew commendation, including praise from his brother Alou. Over six additional A-League appearances, Kuol netted three goals, playing a key role in securing qualification for the Finals.

On 20 May, he was chosen as a "Commissioner's pick" for the 2022 A-Leagues All Stars Game facing Barcelona. Subsequently, on 23 June, Kuol signed his inaugural professional contract with the Mariners—a two-year deal—amid significant interest from overseas clubs. On 13 November, he scored twice in a narrow 3–2 defeat to Western United, with one of those goals earning the A-League Men's Goal of the Month award for November. His first league start came on 18 December, where he provided an assist in a 2–1 victory over Sydney FC. Kuol’s final appearance for the Mariners occurred on 30 December during a 2–1 win against Melbourne Victory, where fans at Central Coast Stadium gave him a standing ovation.

Newcastle United

In September 2022, Kuol agreed to join English Premier League club Newcastle United starting January 2023. He officially signed a four-year contract on 30 September 2022 for a transfer fee of £300,000, which included sell-on clauses and performance bonuses. On 12 January 2023, Kuol was loaned out to Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian for the remainder of the 2022–23 season. He made his debut the following day as a substitute during a 1–0 win over St Mirren. Kuol scored his first goal for Hearts coming off the bench in a 2–2 draw against Rangers. Despite limited game time, he returned to Newcastle by late June 2023.

Kuol did not participate in Newcastle’s US pre-season tour in 2023 but instead trained with academy players in Verona while awaiting clearance of his work permit. On 8 August 2023, he was loaned to Eredivisie club FC Volendam for one season. He debuted on 12 August during a 2–1 loss to Vitesse and netted his first goal on 17 September in a 3–1 defeat against Fortuna Sittard, becoming Volendam’s youngest non-Dutch goalscorer. This goal was also awarded Volendam's Goal of the Month for August–September. Following manager Matthias Kohler’s resignation, Kuol’s minutes diminished under new coach Regillio Simons due to tactical adjustments. He returned from loan in May 2024 after Volendam’s relegation from the Eredivisie.

After completing his loan spell, Kuol made his unofficial debut for Newcastle during a friendly match against Tottenham on 22 May at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as part of Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Australia.

Youth

In October 2022, Kuol was selected for the Australian under-20 squad participating in the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification held in Kuwait. Central Coast Mariners' coach, Nick Montgomery, expressed reservations about this decision, arguing that Kuol’s prospects for the 2022 FIFA World Cup would be enhanced through regular playing time in the 2022–23 A-League Men. During the qualifiers, Kuol contributed a goal in Australia's 4–1 victory over the India under-20s, securing Australia's spot in the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan. Nevertheless, after discussions involving his loan club Hearts and parent club Newcastle United, it was decided he would not participate in the tournament.

Both Kuol and his brother Alou were called up to represent the Australian under-23 side at the 2023 Maurice Revello Tournament in June 2023. Throughout the competition, Kuol assisted three goals, including two against the Mediterranean Select team and one versus Mexico, aiding Australia’s progression to the semi-finals. After a defeat by eventual finalists Panama, he provided an assist in a 2–0 win over France U21 during the third-place playoff. In March 2024, both brothers were once again called up for the 2024 WAFF U-23 Championship. Kuol scored during the semi-final triumph against Egypt, though he missed a penalty in the 4–3 shootout loss to South Korea, with Australia finishing as runners-up.

In April 2024, Kuol was included in the under-23 roster for the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup hosted in Qatar, with a goal of securing qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The Olyroos were unable to progress beyond the group stage and failed to score throughout their matches. Kuol appeared as a substitute in all three fixtures against Jordan, Indonesia, and hosts Qatar.

Senior

Kuol earned his inaugural call-up to the senior Australian national team in September 2022, joining the squad for friendly matches against New Zealand. He made his debut at 18 years and 10 days old, entering as a second-half substitute in the second game and receiving commendations for his offensive contribution. This appearance made him the sixth-youngest player ever to represent the Socceroos and marked him as the youngest since Harry Kewell.

At just 18 years old, Kuol was named in Australia’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the youngest Australian ever selected for a World Cup tournament. He came on as a substitute during Australia's opening defeat to France, making him not only Australia's youngest World Cup participant but also among the nine youngest players overall at such an event. Kuol also featured in the round of sixteen match against eventual champions Argentina, becoming the youngest competitor in a World Cup knockout stage since Pelé in 1958. Late in that game, he had an opportunity to level the score but was denied by Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.

Kuol netted his first goal for Australia’s senior side during their initial match following the World Cup, scoring against Ecuador in a friendly held at Western Sydney Stadium on 24 March 2023.

Personal life

Kuol is one of seven brothers, with three older and three younger siblings. Among them, Alou Kuol and Teng Kuol have pursued professional soccer careers, representing clubs such as Central Coast Mariners and Goulburn Valley Suns. Of particular note, Alou had a stint in Germany's Bundesliga playing for VfB Stuttgart, where he made a single league appearance before rejoining the Mariners in July 2023.

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Central Coast Mariners Academy	2021	NPL NSW 2	6	0	—		—		6	0
Central Coast Mariners	2021–22	A-League Men	9	4	3	1	—		12	5
	2022–23	A-League Men	9	2	1	0	—		10	2
	Total		18	6	4	1	—		22	7
Heart of Midlothian (loan)	2022–23	Scottish Premiership	8	1	1	0	0	0	9	1
Volendam (loan)	2023–24	Eredivisie	15	1	1	0	—		16	1
Career total			47	8	6	1	0	0	53	9

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Australia	2022	3	0
	2023	2	1
Total		5	1

List of international goals scored by Garang Kuol

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	24 March 2023	Western Sydney Stadium, Sydney, Australia	Template:Fb	3–1	3–1	Friendly

Player

Australia U-23

• Runner-up: WAFF U-23 Championship, 2024

Individual

• Selected for A-Leagues All Stars Game#A-Leagues All Star: 2022