Tonton Zola Moukoko is one of the cult players of the CM/FM series, one of those who stay in the game’s history forever.
Today he is remembered for what he could have been, not for what he was.
A difficult childhood
He was born in Kinshasa, in what was then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After his parents died, he took refuge in Sweden with his older brother, Fedo.
Despite struggling to get used to the Scandinavian cold, he shone in Djurgården’s youth setup, to the point of being considered one of the world’s biggest prospects. Scouts from European giants such as Milan started turning up.
“The parents of a friend of mine went on holiday to Greece and found an article about me, as one of the young players to watch in the future. I think I was 20th.”
At 15 he received Swedish citizenship and was immediately called up to the youth national teams. He had trials at Empoli and Bologna, but chose England. The small, nimble attacking midfielder’s destination was Derby County.
“Derby was the best option for me and my family, because adapting to the culture and the English language was easier.”
Famous without knowing why
In England he started in the youth team, rotating with the reserves, where he put in excellent performances. But something left him confused: more and more people were turning up just to watch him play.
“It was all very strange. We played against small teams and people asked for my autograph. I did not understand what was going on, until a friend asked me whether I did not know I was a star in a computer game.”
Another tragedy
Soon after, tragedy knocked on his door again. His brother and mentor, Fedo, died. Tonton became depressed and put his studies and football on the back burner, which caused problems with Derby’s management. His contract ended in 2002, without him ever playing for the first team.
Two years away from football followed.
“My brother kept going to Congo for work. One day he was poisoned and died. I went through a lot of hardship. I did not want to know about football anymore, I needed a long time to deal with the loss. And it did not help that doors were half-closed in Sweden, because Djurgården were not compensated when I left. I stopped being called up to the youth national teams and did not feel welcome in the country.”
Back to his adopted home
Back in Sweden, Sven-Göran Eriksson, then England manager, tried to help him return at a smaller club. But Tonton wanted bigger clubs, and the answer was always the same: no.
Six years at modest Swedish clubs followed (Carlstad, Sleipner and Syrianska), plus a brief adventure in Finland, at Atlantis. His career never got the push it needed.
He then decided to try something else. With friends, he founded Kongo United, in Sweden, in honor of the country where he was born, where he kept playing and also started coaching.
No turning back
Looking back, he admits he regrets some decisions, but he knows there is no turning back.
With his family, he says he is happy, with his wife, whom he met at school aged 12, and his son, Zion, whom he would rather see in politics than in football.
And about Football Manager and its fans, he shared a few curiosities:
“The first time I came into contact with the game was when I was invited to the developer’s studios. To this day I keep getting calls from all over the world asking me for a shirt and wishing me happy birthday.”
How many times did you sign Tonton from Derby? We also remember him in Old-school CM legends.
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