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Tonton Zola Moukoko

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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)

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.

Career

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Early career

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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  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. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. 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)
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