Kiani Heipuarii Mareva Wong (born 21 November 2000) is a Tahitian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for 2. Frauen-Bundesliga club 1. FC Saarbrücken and the Tahiti women's national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kiani Heipuarii Mareva Wong[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 November 2000[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Papeete, Tahiti[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder[1] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | 1. FC Saarbrücken | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| A.S. Tefana | |||
| Clairefontaine | |||
| FC Vendenheim[3] | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | FC Vendenheim | 5 | (0) |
| 2019 | Cardiff City | ||
| 2019–2020 | Yeovil United | ||
| 2020– | 1. FC Saarbrücken | 1 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| Tahiti | 4[4] | (1) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 October 2020 | |||
Early life and training
editWong has played football since the age of 4.[5] Her father is a football coach.[2] In Tahiti, she played for A.S. Tefana for ten years, and was a finalist for the Tahiti Nui cup as an U15 player.[2]
In May 2016 she attended the INF Clairefontaine in France.[6] While overseas she studied at the Lycée Jean Monnet and University of Strasbourg.[7]
Club career
editWong was subsequently recruited by FC Vendenheim in Alsace, France.[8] She later played with Cardiff City in Wales,[5] and signed with Yeovil Town Women in England at the end of 2019.[9] In the fall of 2020, Wong transferred to 1. FC Saarbrücken in Germany, and was expected to start playing immediately due to team injuries.[10]
International career
editKiani Wong was selected for the Tahiti national team for the 2018 OFC Women's Nations Cup[5] and for the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.[11] In 2021, she was appointed as a football ambassador by the Oceania Football Confederation as part of its women's football strategy.[12]
In February 2022, she was selected for Tahiti's friendly matches against Luxembourg and Andorra.[13] In July, she was named to the squad for the 2022 OFC Women's Nations Cup.[14][15]
Wong featured with women's footballers Gwendoline Fournier and Camille Andre on a stamp to celebrate international women's day 2023.[16][17]
References
edit- ^ a b c Kiani Wong at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Les trophées du sport 2017 : Kiani Wong N°15". polynésie 1 (in French). 10 February 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ "Kiani Wong" (in French). Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Match". Oceania Football Confederation. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Challenger #17 : Kiani Wong" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Kiani Wong, le rêve au bout des crampons" (in French). TNTV News. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Kiani, espoir féminin du football français" (in French). Femmes de Polynésie. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Football féminin - Kiani Wong réalise son rêve" (in French). La Dépêche de Tahiti. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "International trio sign for Yeovil Town Women". SheKicks. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "FCS-Frauen haben jetzt elf Neue beisammen". Saarbrücker Zeitung (in German). 10 October 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2022 – via PressReader.
- ^ "Football – Jeux du Pacifique : Du renfort pour nos sélections" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "Waqanidrola is Fiji's ambassador to OFC". FijiLive. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Tahiti Women's National Team on tour in Europe". Oceania Football Center. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Tahiti name 22-player squad for OFC Women's Nations Cup". Oceania Football Confederation. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Les Vahine 'Ura à la conquête de la Nations Cup" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "Fare Rata met à l'honneur les footballeuses tahitiennes" (in French). Tahiti Infos. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^ "Un timbre pour promouvoir le sport au féminin" (in French). Radio1. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.