Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali
{{Short description|Swedish-Gabonese footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali
| image = Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Martinsson Ngouali with Gabon at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
| fullname = Serge-Junior Bertil Nicolas
Martinsson Ngouali
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|01|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = Gothenburg, Sweden
| height = 1.73 m
| position = Midfielder
| currentclub = IF Brommapojkarna
| clubnumber = 5
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Gunnilse IS
| youthyears2 =
| youthclubs2 = Västra Frölunda IF
| youthyears3 = 2004–2009
| youthclubs3 = IF Brommapojkarna
| years1 = 2009–2016 | clubs1 = IF Brommapojkarna | caps1 = 172 | goals1 = 11
| years2 = 2017–2020 | clubs2 = Hammarby IF | caps2 = 73 | goals2 = 3
| years3 = 2021–2022 | clubs3 = HNK Gorica | caps3 = 12 | goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2022–2024 | clubs4 = Sarpsborg 08 | caps4 = 62 | goals4 = 3
| years5 = 2024– | clubs5 = IF Brommapojkarna | caps5 = 9 | goals5 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2009–2011
| nationalteam1 = Sweden U19
| nationalcaps1 = 12
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| nationalyears2 = 2011
| nationalteam2 = Sweden U21
| nationalcaps2 = 1
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 2017–
| nationalteam3 = Gabon
| nationalcaps3 = 16
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| club-update = 13 November 2024
| nationalteam-update = 30 October 2024
}}
Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali (born 23 January 1992), commonly known simply as Junior, is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Allsvenskan club IF Brommapojkarna. Born in Sweden, he plays for the Gabon national team.
Early life
Martinsson Ngouali was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, to a Central African father of Gabonese descent.{{cite news|url=https://www.dn.se/sport/fran-svenska-division-1-till-afrikanska-masterskapen/|title=Från svenska division 1 till afrikanska mästerskapen|newspaper=Dagens Nyheter |date=January 8, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2017}} His mother is Swedish and Serge-Junior grew up in the city of Gothenburg. Living in the suburb of Hammarkullen, he started to play football at local clubs Gunnilse IS and Västra Frölunda IF.{{cite web|url=http://nwt.se/amal/pd-sport/2017/01/13/mamma-fran-ed-pa-plats-nar-serge?refresh=true|title=Mamma från Ed på plats när Serge-Junior spelar Afrikanska mästerskapen|publisher=NWT |date=January 13, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2017}}
Together with his mother and twin brother Tom Martinsson Ngouali, also a former professional footballer, he moved to Stockholm in 2003. At age 11, he joined the academy at IF Brommapojkarna.
Career
=Brommapojkarna=
In 2010, he made his debut for Brommapojkarna in Allsvenskan – the Swedish top tier – at age 18.{{cite web|url=https://www.laget.se/bpherr/news/4900281/Serge-Junior-Martinsson-Ngouali-forlanger-med-BP|title=Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali förlänger med BP!|publisher=Brommapojkarna |date=December 16, 2016 |access-date=March 18, 2017}} He played 12 games in the league during his debut season, as Brommapojkarna got relegated to Superettan.{{cite web|url=https://svenskfotboll.se/superettan/person/?playerid=6519|title=Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali|publisher=SVFF |date=March 18, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2017}}
He established himself as a regular starter in the central midfield position for Brommapojkarna in 2012 and 2013, only missing a few competitive games. Martinsson Ngouali soon got known for his technical gift and strong passing game.{{cite web|url=http://www.svenskafans.com/fotboll/brommapojkarna/truppen/Serge-Junior-Ngouali_53580.aspx|title=10. Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngoual|publisher=SvenskaFans |date=March 18, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2017}}
Before the start of the 2014 season, he attracted interest from then reigning Swedish champions Malmö FF. Martinsson Ngouali opted to stay at Brommapojkarna and signed a new three-year deal with the club. He made 28 appearances for the side the same year, marking his first full season in Allsvenskan.
Martinsson Ngouali also featured in both legs against the Serie A side Torino 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.dn.se/sport/fotboll/bp-foll-efter-tva-roda-kort-och-missad-straff/|title=BP föll efter två röda kort och missad straff|newspaper=Dagens Nyheter |date=July 31, 2014 |access-date=March 18, 2017}}
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.
=Hammarby=
==2017==
File:Hammarby-Djurgården-82.jpg in September 2018]]
On 16 March 2017, he moved to the fellow Stockholm-based team Hammarby IF.{{cite web|url=https://www.laget.se/bpherr/news/5009727/Serge-Junior-Martinsson-Ngouali-till-Hammarby-IF|title=Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali till Hammarby IF|publisher=Brommapojkarna |date=March 16, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2017}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.hammarbyfotboll.se/aktuellt/nyheter/junior-klar-for-bajen-kul-att-komma-till-en-storklubb/|title=HTV: Junior klar för Bajen - "Kul att komma till en storklubb"|publisher=Hammarby Fotboll |date=March 16, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2017}}
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.hammarbyfotboll.se/aktuellt/nyheter/utraknat-hif-en-felskriven-slutscen-fran-poang/|title=Uträknat HIF en felskriven slutscen från poäng|publisher=Hammarby Fotboll |date=April 2, 2017 |access-date=April 3, 2017}} He scored his first goal for Hammarby on 7 May in an away fixture against Östersund, netting in a 2–1 loss.{{cite web|url=http://www.hammarbyfotboll.se/matcher-lagen/herr/matcher/ostersunds-fk-hammarby-2/|title=Match: Östersunds FK - Hammarby|publisher=Hammarby Fotboll |date=May 7, 2017 |access-date=May 14, 2017}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.fotbolldirekt.se/2017/07/24/pa-fd-jesper-janssons-tokhyllning-till-junior-fantastisk-varvning/|title=Jesper Jansson tokhyllar Junior: "Fantastisk värvning"|publisher=Fotbolldirekt |date=July 24, 2017 |access-date=August 9, 2017}} On 21 August, in a 3–0 away win against Örebro SK, Martinsson Ngouali attracted a serious thigh injury that kept him out of play for almost two months.{{cite news|url=http://www.hammarbyfotboll.se/aktuellt/nyheter/junior-tackar-nej-till-landslagssamlingen-med-gabon/|title=Junior tvingas tacka nej till landslagssamlingen med Gabon|publisher=Hammarby Fotboll|date=15 September 2017|access-date=15 October 2017}} He returned to the pitch on 16 October, in a 0–2 away loss against Kalmar FF.{{cite news|url=http://www.hammarbyfotboll.se/aktuellt/nyheter/0-0-matchen-i-kalmar-blev-0-2-forlust/|title="0-0-matchen" i Kalmar blev 0-2-förlust|publisher=Hammarby Fotboll|date=16 October 2017|access-date=22 October 2017}}
==2018==
On 12 February 2018, Junior extended his contract for another half year, with the new deal running until June 2020.{{cite news|url=http://www.hammarbyfotboll.se/aktuellt/nyheter/htv-hammarby-forlanger-med-junior/|title=HTV: Hammarby förlänger med Junior|publisher=Hammarby Fotboll|date=12 February 2018|access-date=12 February 2018}} He played 26 league games for Hammarby, scoring once, as the club finished 4th in the table. He suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury in October, in a 2–1 loss against Malmö FF, with an expected return in the summer of 2019.{{cite news|url=https://www.hammarbyfotboll.se/aktuellt/nyheter/junior-drabbad-av-korsbandsskada/|title=Junior drabbad av korsbandsskada|publisher=Hammarby Fotboll|date=20 October 2018|access-date=21 January 2019}} At the end of 2018, Martinsson Ngouali was voted Hammarby Player of the Year by the fans of the club and also featured in the official Allsvenskan Team of the Year.{{cite news|url=https://www.hammarbyfotboll.se/aktuellt/nyheter/olga-och-junior-arets-bajenspelare/|title=Olga och Junior årets Bajenspelare|publisher=Hammarby Fotboll|date=15 November 2018|access-date=21 January 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.allsvenskan.se/nyheter/nyheter-fran-allsvenskan.se/arets-basta-spelare-och-lag-enligt-spelarna-sjalva|title=Årets bästa spelare och lag enligt spelarna själva|publisher=Allsvenskan|date=20 December 2018|access-date=21 January 2019}}
==2019==
Martinsson Ngouali spent the first half of the 2019 season nursing his serious knee injury. He made his comeback on 15 September in a 6–2 home win against IFK Göteborg.{{cite news|url=https://fotbollsthlm.se/hammarby/junior-tillbaka-tackar-for-stodet-bast-supportrar-i-sverige/|title=Junior tillbaka – tackar för stödet: "Bäst supportrar i Sverige"|publisher=Fotboll STHLM|date=15 September 2019|access-date=13 October 2019}} He eventually played 8 games, scoring once, as Hammarby finished 3rd in the table.
==2020==
He had difficulties breaking into the side as a regular in 2020, as the club disappointedly finished 8th in the table. On 9 December, it was announced that Martinsson Ngouali would leave the club at the end of the year, as his contract expired.{{cite news|url=https://www.hammarbyfotboll.se/aktuellt/nyheter/junior-och-aron-lamnar-hammarby/|title=Junior och Aron lämnar Hammarby|publisher=Hammarby Fotboll|access-date=14 December 2020|language=Swedish}}
=HNK Gorica=
On 15 February 2021, Martinsson Ngouali signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Prva HNL club HNK Gorica, linking up with Jiloan Hamad, his former teammate from Hammarby.{{cite news|url=https://www.hnk-gorica.hr/vijesti/junior-martinsson-ngouali-novi-igrac-gorice-veselim-se-ovom-izazovu/837|title=Junior Martinsson Ngouali novi igrač Gorice: 'Veselim se ovom izazovu!'|publisher=HNK Gorica|date=15 February 2021|access-date=20 July 2021|language=Croatian}}
International career
Martinsson Ngouali won 12 caps for the Swedish under-19 national team between 2009 and 2011.{{cite web|url=https://svenskfotboll.se/landslag/landslagsdatabas/landslagsspelare/?fplid=492670|title=Landslagsdatabasen: Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali|publisher=SVFF |date=March 18, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2017}} On March 24, 2011, he also made a single appearance for the Swedish under-21s in a 1–3 loss against Italy.{{cite web|url=https://svenskfotboll.se/arkiv/landslag/2011/03/u21-herr-mot-italien-i-reggio-emilia/|title=U21 herr: Förlust 3-1 mot Italien|publisher=SVFF |date=March 21, 2011 |access-date=March 18, 2017}}
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. He was eventually called up to the final squad ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/38443362|title=Aubameyang leads cast as hosts Gabon name final Nations Cup squad|publisher=BBC |date=December 27, 2016 |access-date=March 18, 2017}} Martinsson Ngouali made his debut for Gabon in a 1–1 draw against Burkina Faso on 18 January 2017 in said tournament.{{cite web|url=http://www.cafonline.com/en-us/competitions/31theditionofafricancupofnationtotal,gabon2017/MatchDetails?MatchId=nmpOn%2bMToQgR7NwVkH5fKX6G0tFxYB3kj0ww1c1xmLuxI3EOwsRgLHwx3NDZzNV5|title=Matchcenter: Gabon - Burkina Faso|publisher=CAF |date=January 18, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2017}}
Career Statistics
=Club=
{{updated|6 September 2024}}{{Soccerway|121815|access-date=6 September 2024}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National Cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="8"|IF Brommapojkarna
|2010 |12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2011
|rowspan="2"|Superettan |28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2012
|29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 30 | 1 | ||
| 2013
|rowspan="2"|Allsvenskan |28 | 1 | 5 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 33 | 1 | ||
| 2014
|28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5{{efn|name="UEL"|Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League}} | 0 | 36 | 1 | |
| 2015
|Superettan |23 | 0 | 3 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2016
|24 | 7 | 4 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 28 | 8 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!172 | 11 | 21 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 198 | 13 | |
| rowspan="5"|Hammarby IF
|2017 |rowspan="4"|Allsvenskan |21 | 1 | 3 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 24 | 2 | ||
| 2018
|26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2019
|8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2020
|18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1{{efn|name="UEL"}} | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!73 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 4 | |
| rowspan="3"|HNK Gorica
|rowspan="2"|HNL |11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2021-22
|12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 14 | 0 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 26 | 0 | ||
| rowspan="4"|Sarpsborg 08
|2022 |rowspan="3"|Eliteserien |29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2023
|23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2024
|10 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 10 | 0 | |||
| colspan="2"|Total
!62 | 3 | 5 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 67 | 3 | ||
| IF Brommapojkarna
|2024 |Allsvenskan |1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | |||
| colspan="3"|Career Total
!331 | 17 | 34 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 371 | 20 |
{{notelist}}
=International=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year{{NFT player|66429|access-date=4 September 2024}} | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="6"|Gabon
|2017 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!16 | 0 |
Honours
=Individual=
- Hammarby IF Player of the Year: 2018
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Soccerway|serge-junior-ngouali/121815}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160915013338/http://www.laget.se/bpherr/Troop/1288868/Serge-Junior-Martinsson-Ngouali Serge-Junior Martinsson Ngouali] at Brommapojkarna {{in lang|sv}}
- {{SvFF player|id=19032e9e-6620-4cb3-a2f0-ac0195afec3d|fid=492670|pid=6519}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20170830064728/https://www.svenskfotboll.se/allsvenskan/person/?playerid=6519 archive])
{{IF Brommapojkarna squad}}
{{Gabon squad 2017 Africa Cup of Nations}}
{{Gabon squad 2021 Africa Cup of Nations}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinsson Ngouali, Serge-Junior}}
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Ettan Fotboll players
Category:Croatian Football League players
Category:IF Brommapojkarna players
Category:Hammarby Fotboll players
Category:Sarpsborg 08 FF players
Category:Gabonese men's footballers
Category:Gabon men's international footballers
Category:Swedish men's footballers
Category:Sweden men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Sweden men's youth international footballers
Category:Gabonese people of Swedish descent
Category:Gabonese people of Central African Republic descent
Category:Sportspeople of Central African Republic descent
Category:Naturalized citizens of Gabon
Category:Swedish people of Gabonese descent
Category:Swedish people of Central African Republic descent
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia
Category:Gabonese expatriate sportspeople in Croatia
Category:Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Croatia
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
Category:Gabonese expatriate sportspeople in Norway
Category:Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Norway
Category:2017 Africa Cup of Nations players
Category:2021 Africa Cup of Nations players