Peter Deng (born 12 January 1993), is a Kenyan-born South Sudanese professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a left back for Australian club

Heidelberg United FC Heidelberg United Alexander Football Club (founded as Alexander the Great-Melbourne Soccer Club) established in 1958 is a football (soccer) club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg West, Victoria, Australia. The team currently ...

in the

National Premier Leagues Victoria The National Premier Leagues Victoria, commonly known as NPL Victoria, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is a part of the National Premier Leagues, and is the highest level within the Victorian soccer lea ...

and the

South Sudan national football team The South Sudan national football team represents South Sudan in international football and is controlled by the South Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football in South Sudan. History Zoran Đorđević was appointed on 25 M ...

Personal life

Deng was born on 12 January 1993 into a family of

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

ese refugees in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

, Kenya. He, along with his family, were fleeing from the conflict in South Sudan and eventually resettled in Australia when he was 10 years old. His younger brother,

Thomas Deng Thomas Jok Deng (born 20 March 1997) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Japanese club Albirex Niigata. Born a South Sudanese refugee in Kenya, he has represented the Australia national team. Personal ...

, played as a

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victor ...

in the A-League and for the

Socceroos The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated wit ...

. Their mother has always been supportive of the brothers' football careers and drove them around Adelaide dropping them off for training and matches. , Deng taught Physical Education at the Parkville Youth Justice Centre.

Club career

After playing unorganised football in Kenya before moving to Australia, Deng played club football in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, first at Adelaide Blue Eagles and later at

Adelaide Olympic Adelaide Olympic F.C. is a football club from Adelaide, South Australia. The club competes in the National Premier Leagues South Australia. Origins The club's origins can first be traced back to 1978, where it was founded under the name of Ad ...

. After the family moved to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, he played half a season with Green Gully in the

(NPLV) with his brother Thomas. He played for another NPLV club,

, in 2019, before moving to the Eastern Lions in 2020. he plays for

Whittlesea Ranges FC Whittlesea Ranges is a professional soccer club based in the suburbs of Epping and Lalor, Victoria, Australia. All home games are played at Epping Stadium. Formed in 1971, the club currently competes in the Victorian State League 1 North-Wes ...

, having moved there in 2021.

International career

Deng was called up by South Sudan for their

2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches were organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, the 31st edition of the international men's football champions ...

match against

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

on 27 March 2016, which he started.Benin v South Sudan Match Report
Confederation of African Football

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deng, Peter Living people 1993 births People with acquired South Sudanese citizenship South Sudanese footballers South Sudan international footballers Australian soccer players Association football defenders National Premier Leagues players Footballers from Nairobi Australian people of South Sudanese descent Sportspeople of South Sudanese descent Sudanese emigrants to Australia Association football fullbacks FK Beograd (Australia) players