Ruon Tongyik

Ruon Kuk Tongyik is a professional football (soccer) player who plays as a central defender for Mes Kerman, on loan from Western Sydney Wanderers. Born in South Sudan, he represents Australia internationally.

Ruon Tongyik
Personal information
Full name Ruon Kuk Tongyik
Date of birth (1996-12-28) 28 December 1996
Place of birth Sudan (now South Sudan)
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Central defender
Team information
Current team
 Mes Kerman
(on loan from Western Sydney Wanderers)
Number 24
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013 Adelaide Olympic 28 (0)
2014–2016 Adelaide United NPL 28 (0)
2015–2016 Adelaide United 0 (0)
2016–2018 Melbourne City 15 (0)
2018–2019 Western Sydney Wanderers 2 (0)
2019 Brisbane Roar 8 (0)
2019–2022 Central Coast Mariners 41 (1)
2022– Western Sydney Wanderers 4 (0)
2023– → Mes Kerman (loan) 20 (1)
International career‡
2017–2018 Australia U-23 3 (0)
2021– Australia 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 January 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 June 2021

Personal life

Born in South Sudan, Tongyik lived there for about three years, and had stayed with relatives in Ethiopia while documents allowing him and his family to move to Australia were processed. Tongyik moved to Australia in 2003, aged 6. He has 3 younger sisters and 1 younger brother. They all currently live in Adelaide.[1]

Club career

Melbourne City

After being named Adelaide United's "Youth Player of the Year", Tongyik joined Melbourne City in July 2016 on a 2-year contract.[2][3] He made his debut for Melbourne City on 9 December 2016, starting in a match against Sydney FC, playing a calm and composed game.[4]

Western Sydney Wanderers

On 3 May 2018, Tongyik was released by Melbourne City and joined Western Sydney Wanderers.[5] In January 2019, he was released by Western Sydney Wanderers.[6]

Brisbane Roar

On 6 February 2019 Brisbane Roar FC announced that Tongyik had signed for the club for the remainder of the 2018–19 season.[7]

Central Coast Mariners

In May 2019, a month after being released by Brisbane Roar, Tongyik signed with Central Coast Mariners on a 2-year deal.[8] Tongyik had a strong first season with the club, culminating in a debut for the Australian national team.[9] Tongyik started to fall out of favour with the Mariners the following season with the emergence of Dan Hall and was released at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season after two seasons with the Mariners.[10]

Western Sydney Wanderers (2nd Stint)

After leaving the Central Coast Mariners, Tongyik re-joined the Western Sydney Wanderers on a two-year contract.[11]

International career

After representing Australia at under-23 level, he was called up by the South Sudan national team in September 2019.[12]

Tongyik received his first selection for the Australian national team in May 2021.[13] He made his international debut on 7 June 2021 in a World Cup Qualifier against Chinese Taipei.[14]

Career statistics

International
As of match played 11 June 2021
Australia
YearAppsGoals
202120
Total20

References
  1. Windley, Matt. "Melbourne City defender Ruon Tongyik making great strides". NT News. News Corporation. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. "City signs 19-year-old defender". Melbourne City. 8 July 2016.
  3. "Ruon Tongyik swaps Reds for Melbourne City". SBS. 8 July 2016.
  4. Gatt, Ray (9 December 2016). "Sydney FC draw with Melbourne City after going a man down". The Australian.
  5. Lynch, Michael (3 May 2018). "City release five as rebuild for next season begins". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  6. "Defender parts ways with Western Sydney Wanderers". FTBL. 2 January 2019.
  7. "Brisbane Roar sign Charles Lokoli-Ngoy and Ruon Tongyik for rest of the season". Fox Sports. 6 February 2019.
  8. Dorman, Matt (29 May 2019). "Signing news: Tongyik seals Central Coast Mariners switch". A-League. Football Federation Australia.
  9. Monteverde, Marco (9 June 2021). "Socceroos: Ruon Tongyik rewarded for a great season with his national team debut". news.com.au.
  10. "Six players depart Mariners ranks". 6 June 2022.
  11. "Tongyik returns to the Wanderers". 22 July 2022.
  12. "South Sudan name 12 Australia-based players". 25 September 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  13. Curulli, Chris (26 May 2021). "'They thought I made a mistake': Ruon Tongyik's heartwarming reaction to first Socceroos call-up". Football Australia. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  14. "Graham Arnold lauds impact of inexperienced Socceroos". Football Federation Australia. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
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