Thomas Sowunmi (born 25 July 1978) is a Hungarian retired footballer.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Babatunde Sowunmi | ||
| Date of birth | 25 July 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1998 | Dunaújváros | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–2001 | Vasas | 84 | (22) |
| 2001–2002 | Dunaújváros | 34 | (5) |
| 2002 | Ajaccio | 0 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Dunaújváros | 11 | (1) |
| 2003–2005 | Ferencváros | 31 | (7) |
| 2005–2006 | Slovacko | 24 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | Hibernian | 5 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Vasas | 46 | (5) |
| 2009–2010 | Siófok | 42 | (15) |
| 2010–2011 | APOP | 7 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Siófok | 28 | (4) |
| 2013–2016 | Ajka | 111 | (29) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1996–1997 | Hungary U-19 | 1 | (0) |
| 1996–1999 | Hungary U-21 | 2 | (0) |
| 1999–2006 | Hungary | 10 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 June 2014 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 February 2009 | |||
Sowunmi was born in Nigeria to a Hungarian mother and a Nigerian Yoruba father and spent the first nine years of his life in the African state.[1] He started playing football aged 13 and began a professional football career with Dunaferr.
Sowunmi left for Vasas Budapest in 1998 but returned to his first club in 2001. He made his first appearance for Hungary in August 1999, in a 1–1 draw against Moldova.[2] Sowunmi was the first person of color to represent Hungary at football.[2] He spent a short spell in France with AC Ajaccio but returned to Hungary with Ferencvaros in 2003. He was signed by FC Slovacko in 2005 but after one season became involved in a dispute with the club. Eventually he was released from his attachment to the Czech team following police and FIFA intervention.[1]
Sowunmi signed for Scottish club Hibernian on 6 February 2007 after impressing manager John Collins while on trial. In just his second match he came on as a half-time substitute in a Scottish Cup quarter-final tie at Queen of the South and scored the decisive goal in a 2–1 win. Sowunmi was released by Hibernian in June, and Sowunmi re-signed for Vasas Budapest in September 2007.
References
edit- ^ a b "Sowunmi: Panther tried to pounce for me". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 12 April 2007.
- ^ a b Toma, Razvan (6 May 2011). "Colourful Pioneers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
External links
edit- Thomas Sowunmi at Soccerbase
- Thomas Sowunmi at National-Football-Teams.com
