Wikipedia

Tonton Zola Moukoko

Tonton Zola Moukoko (born 22 December 1983) is a Swedish former footballer who played as a midfielder. He is renowned for being a legendary figure in the Championship Manager video game series.

Tonton Moukoko
Personal information
Full name Tonton Zola Moukoko
Date of birth (1983-12-22) 22 December 1983 (age 40)
Place of birth Kinshasa, Zaire
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Central midfielder
Youth career
–1999 Djurgårdens
1999–2000 Derby County
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2002 Derby County 0 (0)
2004–2006 Carlstad United 43 (6)
2007–2008 Sleipner 8 (0)
2009 Syrianska 11 (1)
2009 Atlantis 22 (0)
2011–2014 Lidingö 13 (0)
2015–2016 Kongo United FC 20 (3)
Total 117 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:03, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Career edit

Early career edit

Moukoko arrived in Sweden aged seven[1] or nine[2] with his brother Fedo, after they were orphaned.[2] He began playing with Djurgårdens'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[4] and Empoli.[5]

Derby County edit

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 and then spent summer 2003 on trial with Falkirk. After he scored in a 3-0 pre-season friendly win over Queen's Park 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 edit

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

Atlantis edit

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

Lidingö edit

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

Moukoko retired aged 28, affected by the death of his brother, who had been his manager/agent.[14]

Personal life edit

Moukoko was born in Zaire (now DR Congo).[15]

When interviewed for the BBC Radio series Sporting Witness in 2022, Moukoko revealed that he was working as a sports agent in Sweden. Among his notable clients is his cousin's son R. Sasikumar of Kampung Rawa (currently in the 7th Division of Malaysian League).[16]

Championship Manager edit

Moukoko achieved fame through his depiction as one of the best players in Championship Manager, a video game developed by Sports Interactive.[1][17] He was frequently telephoned by fans of the game,[18] who have also set up dedicated Facebook groups.[19][20][21]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Niels Sørensen. "Life is for real". Derbycounty.dk. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Tonton Zola Moukoko senast i raden nyförvärv" (in Swedish). IK Sleipner fotboll. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Nicklas Brunzell (5 February 1999). "Jag tänker ofta på mina döda föräldrar" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  4. ^ Nicklas Brunzell (23 April 1999). "Han kan bli näste svensk i Bologna" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  5. ^ Bjorn Sjodin (25 October 2007). "Ungdomsproffs" (in Swedish). Svenskafans.com. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  6. ^ "FOOTBALL: WAYNE'S BRAVE EFFORTS IN VAIN FA YOUTH CUP ROUND FOUR; DERBY COUNTY 2 VILLA YOUTH 0". Birmingham Evening Mail. 19 January 2000. p. 55. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  7. ^ "FOOTBALL: CHATZONE". Sunday Mirror. 24 December 2000. p. 60. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  8. ^ Nick Calvert (4 August 2002). "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. 21 August 2002. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  10. ^ Anthony Haggerty (9 July 2003). "FOOTBALL: Yogi Czechs out new Bairns". Daily Record. p. 45. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  11. ^ "Tonton Zola Moukoko". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  12. ^ Niva, Erik (13 August 2012). "Tonton Goes To London" (in Swedish). Afton Bladet. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  13. ^ "Ungdomsrapport" (in Swedish). IFK Lidingö FK. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  14. ^ "Tonton Zola Moukoko: 'If you say his name, faces will light up immediately'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Då: Världskänd Nu: Grillar korv". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Sporting Witness, Tonton Zola Moukoko: The best Championship Manager player ever". Endurance Info. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  17. ^ Dan Fitch (4 June 2010). "5 Championship Manager Stars Who Really Burned Out". Betfair.com. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  18. ^ Jon Carter (23 December 2009). "What happened to... Champ Man legends?". ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  19. ^ Rob Smyth (14 November 2008). "The Joy of Six: great Championship/ Football Manager players". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  20. ^ Football Manager at 25: From Tonton Zola Moukoko to Premier League club tool Archived 14 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine, BBC Sport, 27 November 2017
  21. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links edit

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