Tokmac Chol Nguen (born 20 October 1993) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Swedish side Djurgårdens IF. Born in Kenya to South Sudanese refugees, Nguen represents the Norway national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tokmac Chol Nguen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 October 1993[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Kakuma, Kenya[1] | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Djurgårdens IF | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Strømsgodset[1] | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2019 | Strømsgodset | 78 | (16) |
| 2014 | → Bærum (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 2015 | → Mjøndalen (loan) | 6 | (2) |
| 2019–2024 | Ferencváros | 129 | (34) |
| 2024– | Djurgårdens IF | 9 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | Norway U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2012 | Norway U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2021– | Norway | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 July 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:39, 24 March 2021 (UTC) | |||
Club career
In Norway
Nguen made his debut for Strømsgodset on 28 August 2011 against Fredrikstad.[1][2] The game ended 1–1.
He was injured most of the 2012 season, and only played four minutes in one match as a sub.[1] In 2013, when his team became champions, he was subbed on in two matches, with a combined 17 minutes of play.[1] In 2014 he was used as a sub in three matches, playing 76 minutes in total, as well as a cup game.[2]
On 6 August 2014, he was loaned out to 1. Divisjon club Bærum for the remainder of the 2014 season.[3]
On 10 August 2015, he was loaned out to Tippeligaen club Mjøndalen for the rest of the 2015 season.[4]
Ferencváros
In June 2020, Nguen was given a written warning by the Hungarian Football Federation for celebrating his goal for Ferencvárosi TC against Puskás Akadémia FC by displaying a message on his undershirt condemning the murder of George Floyd.[5][6] Ferencváros ultras are notoriously oriented towards the political right,[7] so they did not necessarily approve of this political message.
On 16 June 2020, he became champion with Ferencváros by beating Budapest Honvéd FC at the Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion on the 30th match day of the 2019–20 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season.[8]
On 29 September 2020, he was member of the Ferencváros team which qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League group stage after beating Molde FK on 3–3 aggregate (away goals) at the Groupama Aréna.[9]
In the first round of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League he scored twice against 2019 Allsvenskan-winner Djurgårdens IF Fotboll at Groupama Aréna on 19 August 2020. He scored his first group stage goal against FC Dynamo Kiev, a 59th minute goal to bring the match to 2-1. Ferencváros would eventually equalize in the 90th minute.
On 20 April 2021, Ferencváros won the 2020–21 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season by beating archrival Újpest FC 3–0 at the Groupama Aréna. The goals were scored by Myrto Uzuni (3rd and 77th minute) and Nguen (30th minute).[10]
In Hungary, he is nicknamed "tökmag", Hungarian for pumpkin seed, because of the resemblance of his name (Tokmac) and the hungarian noun (Tökmag).
On 5 May 2023, he won the 2022–23 Nemzeti Bajnokság I with Ferencváros, after Kecskemét lost 1–0 to Honvéd at the Bozsik Aréna on the 30th matchday.[11][12]
Djurgårdens IF
On 25 March 2024, Nguen joined Djurgårdens IF signing a two-year deal.[13]
On 8 April 2024, Nguen made his Allsvenskan debut coming off the bench in the 79th minute at home against BK Häcken with Djurgårdens IF down 0-3. He made an immediate impact by scoring in the 87th and 89th minute, helping Djurgårdens IF come back to draw the game 3-3 after a stoppage time penalty. Shortly following this impact performance, Nguen jumped in off the bench in the 68th minute in a game against league leaders and season favorites Malmö FF. In a tightly contested and physical fixture, Nguen was shoved down by a Malmö FF defender in 83rd minute who proceeded to stand over Nguen and visibly antagonize him. When Nguen got back on his feet and began running back, he appeared to intentionally bump into the defender who collapsed on the ground. This resulted in a red card dismissal for Nguen with a harsh additional 4 game suspension. Malmö FF proceeded finish the game with a stoppage time winner.[14]
Back from suspension, Nguen proceeded to immediately demonstrate his quality, scoring in his first 2 games back with a goal off the bench in a 0-5 dismantling of IF Brommapojkarna and a goal in his first start for Djurgårdens IF in a dominant 2-0 performance against Halmstad BK. [15] [16]
International career
Nguen was born in a refugee camp in Kenya to South Sudanese Dinka father and an Ethiopian Oromo mother, and moved to Norway at the age of 5. Nguen has made appearances for the Norway U18, and U19 squads.[17][18] He was called up by the South Sudan national team in September 2019, but did not want to join the team, since he wanted to play for Norway.[19] He was called up by the Norway national team in March 2021.[20] He made his debut for Norway on 24 March 2021 in a World Cup qualifier against Gibraltar.[21]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 17 December 2023[22]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Strømsgodset | 2011 | Tippeligaen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Tippeligaen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2013 | Tippeligaen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2014 | Tippeligaen | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | Tippeligaen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | Tippeligaen | 14 | 3 | 4 | 3 | – | 18 | 6 | ||
| 2017 | Eliteserien | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 30 | 6 | ||
| 2018 | Eliteserien | 28 | 7 | 5 | 0 | – | 33 | 7 | ||
| Total | 78 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 19 | ||
| Bærum (loan) | 2014 | 1. divisjon | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | 2 | |
| Mjøndalen (loan) | 2015 | Tippeligaen | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 2 | |
| Ferencváros | 2018–19 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | – | 14 | 4 | |
| 2019–20 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 30 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 45 | 12 | |
| 2020–21 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 32 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 44 | 15 | |
| 2021–22 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 28 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 43 | 12 | |
| 2022–23 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 34 | 3 | |
| 2023–24 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
| Total | 129 | 34 | 8 | 1 | 55 | 12 | 192 | 47 | ||
| Career total | 224 | 54 | 21 | 4 | 55 | 12 | 300 | 70 | ||
Honours
Strømsgodset
Ferencváros
References
External links
- Tokmac Nguen at Soccerway