Tserenmanla Munkhjin Making His Own Way in Hungary

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Since 2016 there have been twelve Mongolian footballers who have trained with Puskás Akadémia in Hungary as part of the partnership between the club and Mongolian Football Federation. While those players certainly earned their opportunities, there is another Mongolian competing in the country who has taken a more traditional path in club football in some ways, and a very nontraditional path in others.

Tserenmanla Munkhjin was born on 26 February 2004 in Govisümber aimag. While his grandparents did not initially allow him to play the sport out of fear for his physical well-being, after watching the 2009 UEFA Champions League final, he fell in love with football and finally convinced them to let him take part.

In 2006, when Munkhjin was only two years old, his parents moved to Hungary in search of work and he stayed to be raised by his grandparents in Mongolia. After completing 8th grade he decided it was time to make the move to Hungary to be with his parents and have more opportunity in education and football.

In 2017 he joined the highly rated Mori Se and stayed with the club through 2018 before moving to Bakonysarkanyi Se where he has been ever since. It is this club, where he is deployed in both defensive and attacking midfield positions, which he truly credits for his progress as a footballer. To this point, he has made 46 official league appearances for the club, scoring three goals.

Last season Mukhjin was named the Best Midfielder of the U19 league. He's led his club to second place in both the under-16 and under-19 leagues and was named to the Team of the Season for both leagues along the way.

Despite his accomplishments, he has so far flown under the radar of the Mongolian national teams. However, his dream is to receive his first call-up to suit up for his home country in its upcoming under-20 competitions.

When asked about his plans for the future, he states that his first choice would be to stay in Europe and play for a first or second-tier club on the continent. Failing that, he plans to play NCAA college football in the United States to continue playing while also earning an education.

While Tserenmanla Munkhjin has been in contact with the Mongolians who have joined him in Hungary through the Puskás Akadémia partnership and considers Ganbold Ganbayar a role model for young Mongolians, he has forged his own path to success in the country.Though the player has many different paths that he may take in the next few years, it is clear that all of them will lead to many kinds of success.