Franco Tongya

Franco Daryl Tongya Heubang (born 13 March 2002) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Cypriot First Division club AEK Larnaca, on loan from Danish Superliga club OB.

Franco Tongya
Personal information
Full name Franco Daryl Tongya Heubang[1]
Date of birth (2002-03-13) 13 March 2002
Place of birth Turin, Italy
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 AEK Larnaca (on loan from OB)
Number 8
Youth career
2006–2009 Brandizzo
2009–2021 Juventus
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 Juventus U23 10 (0)
2021–2022 Marseille II 14 (4)
2022– OB 27 (3)
2023– → AEK Larnaca (loan) 3 (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 20 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:01, 7 June 2022 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

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

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

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

On 2 September 2023, Tongya joined Cypriot First Division side AEK Larnaca on a season-long loan.[14]

International career

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;[15] Italy eventually lost the final to the Netherlands.[16]

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.[17][18]

Style of play

Mainly a half-winger (Italian: mezzala), Tongya is also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder,[19] or a winger.[20] He initially started out as a forward, before moving to the midfield.[19] He has been described as a dynamic player, with good tactical intelligence and technical ability.[21]

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

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 27 August 2023[4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Juventus U23 2020–21 Serie C 10000100
Marseille II 2020–21 National 2 100010
2021–22 National 2 13400134
OB 2022–23 Danish Superliga 15210162
2023–24 Danish Superliga 610061
Total 21310223
AEK Larnaca 2023–24 Cypriot First Division 000000
Career total 39610406
  1. Includes Coppa Italia, Coupe de France, Danish Cup

Honours

Juventus

  • Campionato Giovanissimi Nazionali: 2016–17[3]

Italy U17

References
  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. Attanasio, Christian (10 July 2020). "Juve Primavera: Franco Tongya, il prototipo del trequartista moderno". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  3. Juventus.com. "U19 | Franco Tongya tells his story between past and present - Juventus TV". Juventus.com. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  4. 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. "L'Italia vola in semifinale. Tongya gol, Portogallo battuto 1-0, ora la Francia". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  16. UEFA.com. "Olanda-Italia | Under 17". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  17. "Raduno dei giocatori di interesse nazionale, iniziato il lavoro del secondo gruppo azzurro". FIGC (in Italian). 25 May 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  18. "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.
  19. "Gli Under 17 azzurri: la scheda di Franco Tongya". TuttiTalenti (in Italian). 7 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  20. "Franco Tongya rejoint l'OM". OM (in French). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  21. "Franco Tongya: talento italiano classe 2002". World Football Scouting (in Italian). 5 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
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