Franco Tongya

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

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 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Marseille II
Number 31
Youth career
2006–2009 Brandizzo
2009–2021 Juventus
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 Juventus U23 10 (0)
2021– Marseille II 5 (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 2 September 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 February 2020

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]

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;[8] Italy eventually lost the final to the Netherlands.[9]

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]

Style of play

Mainly a half-winger (Italian: mezzala), Tongya is also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder,[10] or as a winger.[11] He initially started out as a forward, before moving to the midfield.[10] Tongya is a dynamic player, with a good tactical intelligence and technical ability.[12]

Personal life

Tongya cited Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as a point of reference in 2020.[3]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 28 August 2021[4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[13]
Club Season League Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Juventus U23 2020–21 Serie C 100100
Marseille II 2020–21 National 2 1010
2021–22 National 2 4 0 4 0
Career total 150150

    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. "L'Italia vola in semifinale. Tongya gol, Portogallo battuto 1-0, ora la Francia". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2020.
    9. UEFA.com. "Olanda-Italia | Under 17". UEFA.com (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2020.
    10. "Gli Under 17 azzurri: la scheda di Franco Tongya". TuttiTalenti (in Italian). 7 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    11. "Franco Tongya rejoint l'OM". OM (in French). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
    12. "Franco Tongya: talento italiano classe 2002". World Football Scouting (in Italian). 5 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
    13. Single source here, if player is inactive. If player has not retired, move source next to "Updated" template.
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