Ruon Kuk Tongyik is a professional

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays 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

Mes Kerman Mes Kerman Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال صنعت مس کرمان, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Sân't-e Mes Kârman'') is an Iranian professional association football, football team based in Kerman, Iran. They were promoted to Iran's top ...

, on loan from

Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier ...

. Born in South Sudan, he represents Australia internationally.

Personal life

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.

Club career

Melbourne City

After being named Adelaide United's "Youth Player of the Year", Tongyik joined Melbourne City in July 2016 on a 2-year contract. He made his debut for Melbourne City on 9 December 2016, starting in a match against

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...

, playing a calm and composed game.

Western Sydney Wanderers

On 3 May 2018, Tongyik was released by Melbourne City and joined

. In January 2019, he was released by Western Sydney Wanderers.

Brisbane Roar

On 6 February 2019

Brisbane Roar FC Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional association football, soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record ...

announced that Tongyik had signed for the club for the remainder of the 2018–19 season.

Central Coast Mariners

In May 2019, a month after being released by Brisbane Roar, Tongyik signed with

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...

on a 2-year deal. Tongyik had a strong first season with the club, culminating in a debut for the Australian national team. Tongyik started to fall out of favour with the Mariners the following season with the emergence of

Dan Hall Daniel James Hall (born 30 June 1978) is an Australian musician from Melbourne who has been in two rock music, rock bands, Taxiride and Airway Lanes. With Taxiride, as guitarist, pianist and vocalist, he had a top 10 hit on the Australian ...

and was released at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season after two seasons with the Mariners.

Western Sydney Wanderers (2nd Stint)

After leaving the Central Coast Mariners, Tongyik re-joined the Western Sydney Wanderers on a two-year contract.

International career

After representing Australia at under-23 level, he was called up by the South Sudan national team in September 2019. Tongyik received his first selection for the Australian national team in May 2021. He made his international debut on 7 June 2021 in a World Cup Qualifier against

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One-China principle stipulated by th ...

Career statistics

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tongyik, Ruon 1996 births Living people Australian men's soccer players Australia men's youth international soccer players Australia men's international soccer players South Sudanese men's footballers Australian people of South Sudanese descent Sportspeople of South Sudanese descent South Sudanese emigrants to Australia Men's association football defenders Adelaide United FC players Melbourne City FC players Western Sydney Wanderers FC players Brisbane Roar FC players Central Coast Mariners FC players National Premier Leagues players A-League Men players Sanat Mes Kerman F.C. players Persian Gulf Pro League players Expatriate men's footballers in Iran