Franco Daryl Tongya Heubang (born 13 March 2002) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Gençlerbirliği.
Club career Early career Born in Turin, Italy, to Cameroonian parents, Tongya began his youth career at Brandizzo when he was about four years old, before moving to Juventus' youth sector in 2009 aged seven. In 2016–17 he captained the under-15 side, helping them win the league title.
Tongya made his Serie C debut for Juventus U23 – the reserve team of Juventus – on 28 September 2020, in a 2–1 win over Pro Sesto. He played 10 league games in the first half of the 2020–21 season.
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. 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.
Odense Boldklub On 30 August 2022, Tongya joined Danish side OB on a permanent deal, signing a three-year contract with the club. 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.
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. 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.
Loan to AEK Larnaca On 2 September 2023, Tongya joined Cypriot First Division side AEK Larnaca on a season-long loan. After finishing his loan spell, Tongya returned to Odense.20 spillere kan forsvinde: OB står foran kæmpe udrensning og et svært regnestykke, tv2fyn.dk, 5 June 2024
Salernitana On 13 July 2024, Tongya returned to Italy after signing with newly-relegated Serie B club Salernitana.FRANCO TONGYA È UN NUOVO GIOCATORE DELLA SALERNITANA, salernitana.it, 13 July 2024
On 24 August 2024, Tongya made his Salernitana debut in a 3-2 Serie B defeat to Südtirol.
Gençlerbirliği On 6 September 2025, following Salernitana's relegation to Serie C, Tongya left to sign for Turkish club Gençlerbirliği.
International career Tongya has represented Italy internationally from under-16 to under-19 levels. 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; Italy eventually lost the final to the Netherlands.
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. Italy were knocked out by hosts Brazil in the quarter-finals.
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.
Style of play Mainly a half-winger (), Tongya is also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, or a winger. He initially started out as a forward, before moving to the midfield. He has been described as a dynamic player, with good tactical intelligence and technical ability.
Tongya cited Cristiano Ronaldo as a source of inspiration.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsJuventus U232020–21Serie C10000100Marseille II2020–21National 21000102021–22National 213400134OB2022–23Danish Superliga152101622023–24Danish Superliga610061Total21310223AEK Larnaca (loan)2023–24Cypriot First Division30621327Salernitana2024–25Serie B24300243Career total9315319616
Honours Juventus : 2016–17
Italy U17 UEFA European Under-17 Championship runners-up: 2019
References
External links