Alopua Petoa (born 24 January 1990) is a footballer who plays as a forward for FC Tofaga. Born in Nauru, he plays for the Tuvalu national team and is their all-time top scorer.[2]
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 January 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Nauru | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Tofaga[1] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2012 | Tofaga | ||
| 2012 | Brabantia | ||
| 2013–2014 | Waitakere City | ||
| 2014–2018 | Tofaga | ||
| 2019 | Nanumaga[1] | ||
| 2020– | Tofaga[1] | ||
| International career | |||
| 2011– | Tuvalu | 13 | (9) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life edit
Born in Nauru, Petoa started playing football at the age of ten before becoming a naturalized Tuvalu citizen and joining Vatokami in 2005 which would change its name to FC Tofaga the same year.[3]
Well football is my first pass time and took me to where I am now so have not really had the chance to pursue another dream.
Club career edit
Alopua Petoa was the top scorer in the Tuvalu A-Division competition in 2012 and joint top scorer with James Lepaio in 2021.
In 2012, Petoa was discovered by Dutch manager Foppe de Haan and signed for Dutch side Brabantia along with Vaisua Liva, initially training with their reserve team.[4]
In 2013, he signed for New Zealand side Waitakere City with Vaisua Liva, becoming the first professional Tuvaluan players in history.[5]
International career edit
Petoa has been regarded as one of the best players in Tuvalu and is the all-time top scorer of the Tuvalu national team.[6]
On 22 August 2011, Petoa debuted for the Tuvalu national team during a 3–0 win over Samoa, scoring a hat-trick in what was Tuvalu's first international match in four years and their highest victory in history.[7]
In 2013 Petoa was called for a tour with Tuvalu football Team that took place in the Netherlands where he scored.[8]
On 8 June 2018 at the CONIFA World Football Cup in London, Petoa scored two goals, putting Tuvalu ahead of Tamil Eelam, only for their opponents to stage a dramatic comeback in stoppage time to win 4–3.[9]
Style of play edit
Petoa mainly operates as a striker and is known for his dribbling.[10]
Personal life edit
Petoa had not been in a plane until he arrived in the Netherlands to sign for Dutch side Brabantia.[6]
His idol is Ronaldinho and his favorite team is Real Madrid.[11]
Career statistics edit
- Scores and results list Tuvalu's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Petoa goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 August 2011 | Fiji |  Samoa |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | 3–0 | |||||
| 4 | 27 August 2011 | Stade Rivière Salée, Nouméa, New Caledonia |  American Samoa |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2011 Pacific Games |
| 5 | 3–0 | |||||
| 6 | 4–0 | |||||
| 7 | 5 December 2017 | Korman Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu |  New Caledonia |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2017 Pacific Mini Games |
| 8 | 15 December 2017 | Port Vila Municipal Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu |  Tonga |
3–3 | 4–3 | 2017 Pacific Mini Games |
| 9 | 12 July 2019 | National Soccer Stadium, Apia, Samoa | American Samoa |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2019 Pacific Games |
CONIFA goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 June 2018 | Gander Green Lane, Sutton, England |  Tamil Eelam |
1–0 | 3–4 | 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup |
| 2 | 3–1 |
References edit
- ^ a b c Alopua Petoa at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ Macer-Wright, Alun (23 May 2018). "Tuvalu Going from Ocean to Ocean to Compete in WFC 2018". CONIFA. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Alopua Petoa - Oceania NÃO FIFA article".
- ^ "Drukke week voor voetbaltalenten uit Tuvalu [Busy week for football talents from Tuvalu]". Omroep Brabant (in Dutch). 11 October 2012. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023.
- ^ "Vaisua Liva and Alopua Petoa start their internship at Waitakere City FC". Tuvalu National Football Association. 2013. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014.
- ^ a b "'Cruijff en Kromme' uit Tuvalu jagen droom in Nederland na ['Cruijff and Kromme' from Tuvalu pursue dream in the Netherlands]". Algemeen Dagblad. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ Zoeren, Walter (22 August 2011). "Foppe de Haan leidt Tuvalu naar grootste zege ooit". De Stentor (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Interview with Alopua Petoa (Tuvalu) - Entrevista com Alopua Petoa (Tuvalu)". OCeania NO FIFA - Oceania NÃO FIFA KASELEHLIE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA - ALOHA HAWAII - MAURI KIRIBATI - YOKWE KWAJALEIN - ALII PALAU - TALOFA TUVALU. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Sport: Tuvalu footballers beaten in stoppage time". RNZ. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ "Alopua Petoa - Trouw article".
- ^ "Interview with Alopua Petoa (Tuvalu) - Entrevista com Alopua Petoa (Tuvalu)". OCeania NO FIFA - Oceania NÃO FIFA KASELEHLIE FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA - ALOHA HAWAII - MAURI KIRIBATI - YOKWE KWAJALEIN - ALII PALAU - TALOFA TUVALU. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "Alopua Petoa". National Football Teams.
- ^ "Tamil Eelam 4-3 Tuvalu". www.conifa.org. CONIFA. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
External links edit
- Alopua Petoa at National-Football-Teams.com
