Franco Tongya

Franco Daryl Heubang Tongya (born 1 May 2002) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for French club Marseille.

Franco Tongya
Personal information
Full name Franco Daryl Heubang Tongya
Date of birth (2002-03-13) 13 March 2002
Place of birth Turin, Italy
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Marseille
Number 31
Youth career
2006–2009 Brandizzo
2009– Juventus
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 Juventus U23 10 (0)
2021– Marseille 0 (0)
National team‡
2017–2018 Italy U16 14 (1)
2018–2019 Italy U17 17 (6)
2019 Italy U18 9 (2)
2020– Italy U19 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 04:49, 24 January 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 February 2020

Club career

Early career

Born in Turin, Italy, to Cameroonian parents,[1] Tongya began his youth career at Brandizzo when he was about four years old,[2] before moving to Juventus' youth sector in 2009 aged seven.[2] In 2016–17 he captained the under-15 side, helping them win the league title.[2]

Tongya made his Serie C debut for Juventus U23 – the reserve team of Juventus – on 28 September 2020,[3] in a 2–1 win over Pro Sesto.[4] He played 10 league games in the first half of the 2020–21 season.[3]

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.[5]

International career

Tongya has represented Italy internationally from under-16 to under-19 levels.[1] 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;[6] Italy eventually lost the final to the Netherlands.[7]

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.[1] Italy were knocked out by hosts Brazil in the quarter-finals.[1]

Style of play

Mainly a half-winger (Italian: mezzala), Tongya is also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder,[8] or as a winger.[9] He initially started out as a forward, before moving to the midfield.[8] Tongya is a dynamic player, with a good tactical intelligence and technical ability.[10]

Personal life

Tongya cited Juventus player Cristiano Ronaldo as a point of reference.[2]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 23 December 2020[3]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[11]
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Juventus U23 2020–21 Serie C 100——100
Marseille 2020–21 Ligue 1 0000—00
Career total 1000000100
  1. Includes the Coupe de France

Honours

Club

Juventus

  • Campionato Giovanissimi Nazionali: 2016–17[2]

International

Italy U17

References
  1. Attanasio, Christian (10 July 2020). "Juve Primavera: Franco Tongya, il prototipo del trequartista moderno". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  2. Juventus.com. "U19 | Franco Tongya tells his story between past and present - Juventus TV". Juventus.com. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  3. Franco Tongya at Soccerway. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  4. "Juventus II vs. Pro Sesto - 28 September 2020 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  5. Juventus.com. "UFFICIALE | Marley Akè è bianconero. Tongya al Marsiglia - Juventus". Juventus.com (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. "L'Italia vola in semifinale. Tongya gol, Portogallo battuto 1-0, ora la Francia". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  7. UEFA.com. "Olanda-Italia | Under 17". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  8. "Gli Under 17 azzurri: la scheda di Franco Tongya". TuttiTalenti (in Italian). 7 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  9. "Franco Tongya rejoint l'OM". OM (in French). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  10. "Franco Tongya: talento italiano classe 2002". World Football Scouting (in Italian). 5 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  11. Single source here, if player is inactive. If player has not retired, move source next to "Updated" template.
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