Valentino Yuel

Valentino Yuel
Yuel playing for Western Sydney Wanderers in 2023
Personal information
Full name Valentino Kuach Yuel
Date of birth (1994-10-12) 12 October 1994
Place of birth Kakuma, Kenya
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Eastern District
Number 18
Youth career
2009–2011 Adelaide Comets
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Adelaide Comets 2 (0)
2013–2014 Cumberland United 40 (13)
2015–2016 Campbelltown City (3)
2017 Adelaide Comets 22 (5)
2018 Adelaide City 22 (4)
2019 Bentleigh Greens 12 (8)
2019–2020 Western United 9 (0)
2020–2022 Newcastle Jets 45 (10)
2022–2023 Aluminium Arak 12 (0)
2023 → Umm Salal (loan) 7 (1)
2023–2024 Western Sydney Wanderers 7 (2)
2024 Nasaf 6 (0)
2025 Al-Murooj 5 (1)
2025– Eastern District 0 (0)
International career‡
2022– South Sudan 25 (3)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20 October 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 October 2025

Valentino Kuach Yuel (born 12 October 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Hong Kong Premier League club Eastern District. Born in Kenya and raised in Australia, he plays for the South Sudan national team.

Early life

Valentino Kuach Yuel[1] was born on 12 October 1994[2] in Kakuma, Kenya,[3] the son of South Sudanese refugees. His early years were spent in refugee camps, before his parents were able to migrate to Australia, where they settled in Adelaide, South Australia, along with his six siblings.[4] Yuel was 10 years old upon arrival in Adelaide,[5] and was unable to speak English at first, but started attending school in Adelaide and soon became fluent.[6]

He first played for a local community club, the Plympton Bulldogs, in the southern Adelaide suburb of Plympton Park.[4]

Club career

Yuel had his senior debut at the Adelaide Comets aged 16, and then played for a number of teams in NPL South Australia.[6]

Western United

Yuel was signed by new club Western United ahead of the 2019–20 A-League.[7] He left the club at the end of the 2019–20 season.[8]

Newcastle Jets

Following 2.5 months without a club, including a trial period, Yuel joined Newcastle Jets on a two-year contract.[9]

After not scoring for Western United in 9 appearances for the club, Yuel looked to prove himself in the A-League with Newcastle Jets. Yuel started strong, scoring 3 goals in 3 matches,[10] however Yuel was kept to 1 goal in 8 matches as the Newcastle Jets set a club record, equalling 6 consecutive losses.[11]

Aluminium Arak

On 7 August 2022, Yuel announced on his Instagram page that he had signed for Aluminium Arak,[12] who play in the Persian Gulf League.[4] During his time there, he became caught up in the Mahsa Amini protests for women's rights.[4]

Umm Salal

He then had a few months with Umm Salal in Qatar, but the coach was sacked a few weeks after his arrival, and the foreign players gradually left.[4]

Western Sydney Wanderers

Returning to Australia, Yuel joined A-League team Western Sydney Wanderers, where he played for a season in 2022–23.[4]

FC Nasaf

In 2024 he played for Uzbekistan Champions League team FC Nasaf.[1][4]

Al Murooj

Yuel then moved to Libya, where he joined Al Murooj.[4]

Eastern District

On 25 October 2025, Yuel joined Hong Kong Premier League club Eastern District.[4]

International career

On 8 June 2021, it was announced that Yuel had accepted a call-up to the South Sudan national team.[13] He made his debut on 31 January 2022, scoring the only goal in a 2–1 loss to Jordan.[14]

Career statistics

International goals

Scores and results list South Sudan's goal tally first.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 31 January 2022 The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates  Jordan 1–1 1–2 Friendly
2. 14 June 2023 Suez Canal Stadium, Ismailia, Egypt  Gambia 1–1 2–3 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3. 10 September 2024 Juba Stadium, Juba, South Sudan  South Africa 2–2 2–3 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Personal life

Yuel is planning to marry his fiancee, Jacki, who lives in Melbourne, in 2026.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b "Valentino Yuel » Profile". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  2. ^ "South Sudan Forward". ESPN. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  3. ^ "Valentino Yuel". West Sydney Football. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Smith, Matthew (23 November 2025). "Soccer journeyman Valentino Yuel travels around the world playing for different clubs". ABC News. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  5. ^ Bryce, Bindi (28 January 2021). "How the Newcastle Jets helped Valentino Yuel rescue his A-League career". ABC News. Archived from the original on 19 December 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b Lloyd, Jessie (1 June 2021). "The Player, the person – Valentino Yuel". Newcastle Jets. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  7. ^ "Signing news: Western United secure eye-catching NPL star". Hyundai A-League. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Western United squad update". Western United FC. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Around the grounds: Jets snap up Yuel, Mariners recruit eyes fresh start". A-League. 14 December 2020.
  10. ^ "How the Newcastle Jets helped Valentino Yuel rescue his A-League career". ABC. 29 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Newcastle Jets crash to record-equalling sixth consecutive loss". Newcastle Herald. 5 April 2021.
  12. ^ ""I'm proud to announce that I'm beginning the next chapter with @fciralco. I'd like to thank everyone involved in making this move possible and I'm excited to get to work"". Instagram. 7 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Yuel joins South Sudan national team". Newcastle Jets. 8 June 2021.
  14. ^ "News - Lift off Jets Yuel Scores First Goal for South Sudan". February 2022.
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