Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Serge-Junior Bertil Nicolas Martinsson Ngouali | ||
| Date of birth | 23 January 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Hammarby IF | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Gunnilse IS | |||
| Västra Frölunda IF | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2016 | IF Brommapojkarna | 172 | (11) |
| 2017– | Hammarby IF | 17 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2009–2011 | Sweden U19 | 12 | (1) |
| 2011 | Sweden U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2017– | Gabon | 3 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 9 August 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 June 2017 | |||
Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali (born 23 January 1992), commonly known simply as Junior, is a Swedish-born Gabonese footballer who plays for Hammarby IF as a midfielder.
Early life
Martinsson Ngouali was born in Sweden to a Central African father of Gabonese descent.[1] His mother is from Ed in the province of Dalsland, but Serge-Junior grew up in Gothenburg. Living in the suburb of Hammarkullen, he started to play football at local clubs Gunnilse IS and Västra Frölunda IF.[2]
Together with his mother and twin brother Tom Martinsson Ngouali, also a professional footballer, he moved to Stockholm in 2003. At age 11 he joined the academy at IF Brommapojkarna.[2]
Career
Brommapojkarna
In 2010, he made his debut for Brommapojkarna in Allsvenskan - the Swedish top tier - at age 18.[3] He played 12 games in the league during his debut season, as Brommapojkarna got relegated to Superettan.[4]
He established himself as a regular starter in the central midfield position for Brommapojkarna in 2012 and 2013, only missing a few competitive games. He soon got known for his technical gift and strong passing game.[5]
Before the start of the 2014 season, he attracted interest from then reigning Swedish champions Malmö FF. But Serge-Junior opted to stay at Brommapojkarna and signed a new three-year deal with the club.[5] He made 28 appearances for the side the same year, his first full season in Allsvenskan.[4]
Martinsson Ngouali also featured in both legs against Torino F.C. as Brommapojkarna got knocked out from the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round. In the first leg on home ground, he got fouled inside the penalty area by defender Giuseppe Vives who received a red card from the referee. Striker Dardan Rexhepi however missed the penalty and Brommapojkarna eventually lost with 0-7 on aggregate.[6]
Brommapojkarna eventually declined and got relegated to Superettan before the start the 2015 season, where they would finish in last place. In 2016, Martinsson Ngouali scored 7 goals - a new career best - as Brommapojkarna won Division 1, the Swedish third tier.[3]
Hammarby
On 16 March 2017, he moved to the fellow Stockholm-based team Hammarby IF.[7] Martinsson Ngouali signed a three-year deal with the Allsvenskan club. He rejoined his former manager Stefan Billborn and former teammate Pablo Piñones Arce at Hammarby, now both working as assistant managers at said club.[8]
He made his competitive debut for the club on 3 April, on the first match day of Allsvenskan 2017. Martinsson Ngouali got sent off late in the second half as Hammarby lost 1-2 against IFK Norrköping.[9] He scored his first goal for Hammarby on 7 May in an away fixture against Östersund, netting in a 2-1 loss.[10] Midway through his first season at Hammarby, Junior received much praise from the club's director of football Jesper Jansson, who complimented him as a "real class player" with a strong defensive game and great ability to cover big surfaces on the pitch.[11]
International career
Martinsson Ngouali won 12 caps for the Swedish under-19 national team between 2009 and 2011.[12] On March 24, 2011, he also made a single appearance for the Swedish under-21's in a 1-3 loss against Italy.[13]
In the summer of 2016, he was approached by the Gabonese national football team when manager José Antonio Camacho invited him to a training camp.[1] He was eventually called up to the final squad ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.[14] Martinsson Ngouali made his debut for Gabon in a 1-1 draw against Burkina Faso on 18 January 2017 in said tournament.[15]
References
- 1 2 "Från svenska division 1 till afrikanska mästerskapen". Dagens Nyheter. January 8, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- 1 2 "Mamma från Ed på plats när Serge-Junior spelar Afrikanska mästerskapen". NWT. January 13, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- 1 2 "Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali förlänger med BP!". Brommapojkarna. December 16, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- 1 2 "Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali". SVFF. March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- 1 2 "10. Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngoual". SvenskaFans. March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ↑ "BP föll efter två röda kort och missad straff". Dagens Nyheter. July 31, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali till Hammarby IF". Brommapojkarna. March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ↑ "HTV: Junior klar för Bajen - "Kul att komma till en storklubb"". Hammarby Fotboll. March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Uträknat HIF en felskriven slutscen från poäng". Hammarby Fotboll. April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Match: Östersunds FK - Hammarby". Hammarby Fotboll. May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Jesper Jansson tokhyllar Junior: ”Fantastisk värvning”". Fotbolldirekt. July 24, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Landslagsdatabasen: Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali". SVFF. March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ↑ "U21 herr: Förlust 3-1 mot Italien". SVFF. March 21, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Aubameyang leads cast as hosts Gabon name final Nations Cup squad". BBC. December 27, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Matchcenter: Gabon - Burkina Faso". CAF. January 18, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
External links
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