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Franco Daryl Tongya Heubang (born 13 March 2002) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Serie B club Salernitana.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Franco Daryl Tongya Heubang[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 March 2002 | ||
| 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) | |||
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] After finishing his loan spell, Tongya returned to Odense.[15]
Salernitana
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.
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]
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]
Club
- As of match played 27 August 2023[4]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | 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 | ||
- Includes Coppa Italia, Coupe de France, Danish Cup
Juventus
- Campionato Giovanissimi Nazionali: 2016–17[3]
Italy U17
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship runners-up: 2019[18]
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