Tonton Zola Moukoko

Tonton Zola Moukoko (born 22 December 1983) is a Swedish former footballer who played as a midfielder.

Tonton Moukoko
Personal information
Full name Tonton Zola Moukoko
Date of birth (1983-12-22) 22 December 1983
Place of birth Kinshasa, Zaire
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Central midfielder
Youth career
–1999 Djurgården
1999–2000 Derby County
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2002 Derby County 0 (0)
2004–2006 Carlstad United 43 (6)
2007–2008 IK Sleipner 8 (0)
2009 Syrianska KF
2009 Atlantis FC 22 (0)
2011– Site team FK
Teams managed
2013-? IFK Lidingö FK (youth coach)
Flemingsberg United FC
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:03, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Career

Early career

Moukoko arrived in Sweden aged seven[1] or nine[2] with his brother Fedo, after they were orphaned.[2] He began playing with Djurgården's youth teams and came to be considered one of the most talented young players in Sweden.[2][3] Moukoko was granted Swedish citizenship in Autumn 1998 and was immediately called into the Sweden U16 squad.[3]

At the time many of Europe's leading clubs were interested in signing Moukoko[1][3] and in April 1999 he trained with Bologna FC[4] and Empoli.[5]

Derby County

Moukoko joined Derby County as a 15-year-old[1] and featured in the 1999–00 FA Youth Cup.[6] When he signed a professional contract upon turning 17 in December 2000, it was reported that he turned down a competing offer from AC Milan.[7] With Moukoko playing in the youths and reserves at Derby it was thought likely by fans[8] and Moukoko himself[1] that he would break into the first team. However, early in the 2002–03 season[9] he returned to Sweden after suffering family problems[2] and falling out with club management over his study arrangements.[1]

Moukoko trained with Hammarby IF and then spent summer 2003 on trial with Falkirk FC. After he scored in a 3-0 pre-season friendly win over Queen's Park FC on 7 July 2003, the Scottish club's manager John Hughes was reported to have said: "I thought Ton Ton [sic] was brilliant, absolutely brilliant, if you had caught him in training the other day, you couldn't kick his backside, and he's a flying machine. Ton Ton [sic] lightens the place up, he is a great wee smiler and takes pelters from the boys for his hairstyles, but he is a really good kid."[10]

Return to Sweden

England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson and his assistant Tord Grip helped Moukoko to get a contract with Carlstad United BK in the Swedish football Division 2.[1][2] After a period of inactivity, he then signed a two year contract with IK Sleipner ahead of the 2007 season.[2] After the two years Moukoko began the 2009 season with Syrianska KF in Norrköping.

Atlantis FC

Moukoko moved to the Finnish club Atlantis FC during the 2009 season. He played in 10 games and failed to score as the club were relegated from the Ykkönen.[11]

IFK Lidingö FK

In 2013 Moukoko is playing for IFK Lidingö FK[12] and coaching one of the club's youth teams.[13]

Personal life

Moukoko was born in Congo.[14]

Championship Manager

Moukoko achieved fame through his depiction as one of the best players in Championship Manager, a computer game developed by Sports Interactive.[1][15] He is frequently telephoned by fans of the game,[16] who have also set up dedicated Facebook groups.[17][18]

References
  1. Niels Sørensen. "Life is for real". Derbycounty.dk. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  2. "Tonton Zola Moukoko senast i raden nyförvärv" (in Swedish). IK Sleipner fotboll. 2006-12-13. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  3. Nicklas Brunzell (1999-02-05). "Jag tänker ofta på mina döda föräldrar" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  4. Nicklas Brunzell (1999-04-23). "Han kan bli näste svensk i Bologna" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  5. Bjorn Sjodin (2007-10-25). "Ungdomsproffs" (in Swedish). Svenskafans.com. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  6. "FOOTBALL: WAYNE'S BRAVE EFFORTS IN VAIN FA YOUTH CUP ROUND FOUR; DERBY COUNTY 2 VILLA YOUTH 0". Birmingham Evening Mail. 2000-01-19. p. 55. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  7. "FOOTBALL: CHATZONE". Sunday Mirror. 2000-12-24. p. 60. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  8. Nick Calvert (2002-08-04). "Football: Nationwide League: The New Season: Division One: Up, down or bust? The Observer fans' network on their clubs' prospects: Derby County". The Observer. p. 10.
  9. "Rams clear-out continues with Tonton Moukoko leaving for Sweden". Derby County Mad. 2002-08-21. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  10. Anthony Haggerty (2003-07-09). "FOOTBALL: Yogi Czechs out new Bairns". Daily Record. p. 45. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  11. "Tonton Zola Moukoko". Soccerway. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  12. Niva, Erik (2012-08-13). "Tonton Goes To London" (in Swedish). Afton Bladet. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  13. "Ungdomsrapport" (in Swedish). IFK Lidingö FK. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
  14. "Då: Världskänd Nu: Grillar korv". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  15. Dan Fitch (2010-06-04). "5 Championship Manager Stars Who Really Burned Out". Betfair.com. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  16. Jon Carter (2009-12-23). "What happened to... Champ Man legends?". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  17. Rob Smyth (2008-11-14). "The Joy of Six: great Championship/ Football Manager players". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  18. Football Manager at 25: From Tonton Zola Moukoko to Premier League club tool , BBC Sport, 27 November 2017
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