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Franco Tongya

Franco Daryl Tongya Heubang (born 13 March 2002) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Serie B club Salernitana.

Franco Tongya
Personal information
Full name Franco Daryl Tongya Heubang[1]
Date of birth (2002-03-13) 13 March 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Turin, Italy
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Salernitana
Number 7
Youth career
2006–2009 Brandizzo
2009–2021 Juventus
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 Juventus U23 10 (0)
2021–2022 Marseille B 14 (4)
2022–2024 OB 27 (3)
2023–2024 → AEK Larnaca (loan) 30 (6)
2024– Salernitana 4 (0)
International career‡
2017–2018 Italy U16 13 (1)
2018–2019 Italy U17 22 (7)
2019 Italy U18 9 (2)
2020–2021 Italy U19 2 (0)
2021–2022 Italy U20 7 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 April 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:01, 7 June 2022 (UTC)

Club career

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Early career

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Born in Turin, Italy, to Cameroonian parents,[2] Tongya began his youth career at Brandizzo when he was about four years old,[3] before moving to Juventus' youth sector in 2009 aged seven.[3] In 2016–17 he captained the under-15 side, helping them win the league title.[3]

Tongya made his Serie C debut for Juventus U23 – the reserve team of Juventus – on 28 September 2020,[4] in a 2–1 win over Pro Sesto.[5] He played 10 league games in the first half of the 2020–21 season.[4]

Marseille

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On 28 January 2021, Tongya joined Ligue 1 Marseille in a deal worth €8 million, with Marley Aké moving to Juventus for the same fee.[6] He made his debut for the reserve team in the Championnat National 2 on 27 February, as a starter in a 0–0 draw against Rumilly-Vallières.[7]

Odense Boldklub

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On 30 August 2022, Tongya joined Danish side OB on a permanent deal, signing a three-year contract with the club.[8] He subsequently made his debut in the Danish Superliga on 4 September, starting the match against Viborg, which ended in a 2-1 defeat for his team.[9]

On 21 October, Tongya scored his first goal with the club, as well as his first professional goal, in a 3–1 league win against Lyngby.[10][11] On 10 March 2023, he scored with a bicycle kick in a 2-1 league win over Aalborg: thanks to this achievement, he eventually received the "Goal of the Month" prize by the Superligaen.[12][13]

Loan to AEK Larnaca

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On 2 September 2023, Tongya joined Cypriot First Division side AEK Larnaca on a season-long loan.[14] After finishing his loan spell, Tongya returned to Odense.[15]

Salernitana

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On 13 July 2024, Tongya returned to Italy after signing with newly-relegated Serie B club Salernitana.[16]

On 24 August 2024, Tongya made his Salernitana debut in a 3-2 Serie B defeat to Sudtirol.

International career

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Tongya has represented Italy internationally from under-16 to under-19 levels.[2] He played for the under-17 side at the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, playing five games and scoring Italy's winning goal in the semi-finals against Portugal;[17] Italy eventually lost the final to the Netherlands.[18]

Tongya also took part at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil; he played as a starter in all five games and scored a goal in the group stage against the Solomon Islands.[2] Italy were knocked out by hosts Brazil in the quarter-finals.[2]

Both in May and December 2022, he was involved in training camps led by the Italian senior national team's manager, Roberto Mancini, and aimed to the most promising national talents.[19][20]

Style of play

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Mainly a half-winger (Italian: mezzala), Tongya is also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder,[21] or a winger.[22] He initially started out as a forward, before moving to the midfield.[21] He has been described as a dynamic player, with good tactical intelligence and technical ability.[23]

Tongya cited Cristiano Ronaldo as a source of inspiration.[3]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 27 August 2023[4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Juventus U23 2020–21 Serie C 10 0 0 0 10 0
Marseille II 2020–21 National 2 1 0 0 0 1 0
2021–22 National 2 13 4 0 0 13 4
OB 2022–23 Danish Superliga 15 2 1 0 16 2
2023–24 Danish Superliga 6 1 0 0 6 1
Total 21 3 1 0 22 3
AEK Larnaca 2023–24 Cypriot First Division 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 39 6 1 0 40 6
  1. ^ Includes Coppa Italia, Coupe de France, Danish Cup

Honours

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Juventus

Italy U17

References

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  1. ^ "FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019: List of Players: Italy" (PDF). FIFA. 31 October 2019. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Attanasio, Christian (10 July 2020). "Juve Primavera: Franco Tongya, il prototipo del trequartista moderno". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Juventus.com. "U19 | Franco Tongya tells his story between past and present - Juventus TV". Juventus.com. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Franco Tongya at Soccerway. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Juventus II vs. Pro Sesto - 28 September 2020 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. ^ Juventus.com. "UFFICIALE | Marley Akè è bianconero. Tongya al Marsiglia - Juventus". Juventus.com (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Olympique Marseille II vs. Rumilly Vallières - 27 February 2021 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  8. ^ "OB henter Franco Tongya i Marseille". OB (in Danish). 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Viborg FF kunne rejse hjem med sejren". OB (in Danish). 4 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Endnu engang bød Oktoberfesten på sejr". www.ob.dk (in Danish). 21 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  11. ^ Rotondaro, Vittorio (22 October 2022). "Tongya conquista la Danimarca: primo goal con la maglia dell'Odense". Goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Franco Tongya scorede Månedens Mål i marts". Superligaen (in Danish). 24 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  13. ^ Torrisi, Antonio (25 March 2023). "Rete in rovesciata e digiuno spezzato: Tongya vince il premio "Goal del mese" in Danimarca". Goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Υπογραφή συμφωνίας για τον δανεισμό του Franco Daryl Tongya Heubang". AEK Larnaca (in Cypriot Greek). 2 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  15. ^ 20 spillere kan forsvinde: OB står foran kæmpe udrensning og et svært regnestykke, tv2fyn.dk, 5 June 2024
  16. ^ FRANCO TONGYA È UN NUOVO GIOCATORE DELLA SALERNITANA, salernitana.it, 13 July 2024
  17. ^ "L'Italia vola in semifinale. Tongya gol, Portogallo battuto 1-0, ora la Francia". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  18. ^ a b UEFA.com. "Olanda-Italia | Under 17". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Raduno dei giocatori di interesse nazionale, iniziato il lavoro del secondo gruppo azzurro". FIGC (in Italian). 25 May 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Stage a Coverciano dal 20 al 22 dicembre, convocati due gruppi di calciatori di interesse nazionale". FIGC (in Italian). 15 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Gli Under 17 azzurri: la scheda di Franco Tongya". TuttiTalenti (in Italian). 7 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Franco Tongya rejoint l'OM". OM (in French). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Franco Tongya: talento italiano classe 2002". World Football Scouting (in Italian). 5 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
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