Ruon Kuk Tongyik is a professional football (soccer) player who plays as a central defender for Western Sydney Wanderers. Born in South Sudan, he represents Australia internationally.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ruon Kuk Tongyik | ||
| Date of birth | (1996-12-28) 28 December 1996 (age 25) | ||
| Place of birth | Sudan (now South Sudan) | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Central defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Western Sydney Wanderers | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| 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 | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2017–2018 | Australia U-23 | 3 | (0) |
| 2021– | Australia | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 June 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 June 2021 | |||
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]
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]
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]
On 6 February 2019 Brisbane Roar FC announced that Tongyik had signed for the club for the remainder of the 2018–19 season.[7]
In May 2019, a month after being released by Brisbane Roar, Tongyik signed with Central Coast Mariners on a 2-year deal. After a hugely successful spell with the Mariners, Tongyik was released at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 season in order to pursue further opportunities.
Tongyik re-joined the Western Sydney Wanderers with a two year contract, starting from the 22nd of July 2022.
After representing Australia at under-23 level, he was called up by the South Sudan national team in September 2019.[9]
Tongyik received his first selection for the Australian national team in May 2021.[10] He made his international debut on 7 June 2021 in a World Cup Qualifier against Chinese Taipei.[11]
| Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 |
2016–17 A-League PFA Team of the Season | |
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2020–21 A-League PFA Team of the Season | |
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Western Sydney Wanderers FC – current squad | |
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