Alpay Özalan - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Alpay Fehmi Özalan is a former Turkish

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

footballer.

Alpay

Alpay

Alpay or Alpay Nazikioğlu is a Turkish singer. He began his musical career in 1960, and has experimented with a number of styles, from romantic folk to rock...

is currently a member of the management committee of Siirtspor

Siirtspor

Siirt S.K. is a sports club located in Siirt, Turkey. The football club plays in the Iddaa League B. It was founded as Siirt YSE in 1969. It was renamed as Siirt Köy Hizmetleri in 1989, as Siirt Jetpa S.K. in 1999 and as Siirt S.K...

Playing style

Alpay is a tall, tough tackling defender, who is more often used as a man marker. He was a superb organiser, and very dominant in the air.

Turkey

Alpay began his career at Altay SK. His performances caught the eyes of the biggest teams in Turkey.

In 1993, Alpay signed for Turkish giants Beşiktaş JK

Besiktas J.K.

Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü , or simply Beşiktaş , is a Turkish sports club. The club's football team is one of the major teams in Turkey. The professional sports club, founded in 1903, is based in the Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey...

. Alpay set a record in the Turkcell Süper Lig, earning three red cards in the space of six months. He played 148 matches for Besiktas, netting nine times. After six years at Beşiktaş JK

Besiktas J.K.

, a new deal could not be negotiated. His contact was initially bought by Siirt Jetpaspor, and he was then loaned to Fenerbahce SK. In his sole season at Fenerbahce SK, he played 26 matches, and found the net three times.

Aston Villa FC

After superlative performances for his country at Euro 2000, Alpay signed for English club Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa F.C.

Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...

. Alpay enjoyed a good first season with Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa F.C.

, becoming a fan favourite of the club. His abilities caught the interest of Arsenal FC

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

and Newcastle United FC

Newcastle United F.C.

Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

. The arrival of Olof Mellberg

Olof Mellberg

Erik Olof Mellberg is a Swedish international footballer currently playing for Olympiacos in the Greek Superleague. He generally plays as a central defender or right-back.-Early years:...

saw Alpay and the Swedish international produce one of the most talented central-defensive partnerships in Europe. The partnership was cut short as Alpay injured his ankle which sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Alpay recovered just in time for the 2002 FIFA World Cup

2002 FIFA World Cup

The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

. Alpay graced the World Cup finals with his strength, determination and exceptional tackling, forming the core of an obstinate Turkish defensive unit. Turkey finished third and Alpay was elected into Team of the Tournament.

The biggest clubs in Europe took note of his glorious performances in the Far East, including the likes of FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona

Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

and Internazionale

F.C. Internazionale Milano

Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

. Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa F.C.

manager Graham Taylor refused to sell him, which was the beginning of Alpay's downfall at Villa Park. Media reports and comments made by Graham Taylor led to Alpay becoming a very unpopular figure at the club, missing much of the 2002–03 season. Legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel

Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993...

defended Alpay in his article in the English newspaper, The Times

The Times

The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

Alpay returned to the Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa F.C.

team for the beginning of the 2003–04 season. In his first home game against Charlton Athletic, he was booed when walking on to the pitch by his own fans. Alpay scored the first goal of that game. In consequence to his earlier booing, Alpay's goal celebration served to mock the Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa F.C.

fans by placing his finger on his mouth. He was again dropped due to the angry reaction of the Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa F.C.

fans. The Turkish defender was then made public enemy number one in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

in late 2003 after a run-in with David Beckham

David Beckham

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...

during the Euro 2004 qualifier in Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

. He first confronted the England skipper after his first-half penalty miss, glowering over him and rubbing heads with the Real Madrid star in full view of the referee. He followed that up by prodding a finger into David Beckham

David Beckham

's face as the players ran off the pitch at half-time, sparking a tunnel brawl. Due to the angry reactions in England

England

, Alpay's contract was terminated by Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa F.C.

Incheon United

SV Werder Bremen

SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...

, Hamburger SV

Hamburger SV

Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...

, Borussia Mönchengladbach

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...

, Hertha Berlin, Bologna FC

Bologna F.C. 1909

Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...

wanted to sign the fiery Turk. However, the European transfer window was closed and Alpay did not want to wait to play football again. He opted a move to K-League

K-League

The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...

side Incheon United

Incheon United

Incheon United is a professional Korean football team currently playing in the K-League. The team's home town is Incheon, the third biggest city in the country, and the team's home stadium is the Incheon Munhak Stadium, one of the ten venues built in Korea for the 2002 FIFA World...

's first foray into professional football in 2004.

Urawa Red Diamonds

Alpay spent less than six months with the team before moving to the J. League

J. League

The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...

with Urawa Red Diamonds

Urawa Red Diamonds

are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...

. In his first season with the Urawa Red Diamonds

Urawa Red Diamonds

, he was honoured with the best defender of the year award. The following season with the club proved to be a catastrophe. Alpay received three red cards in seven matches. The Japanese club annulled his contract due to these disciplinary problems.

1. FC Köln

In 2005, Alpay signed a one-year-contract with the German Bundesliga

Fußball-Bundesliga

The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...

team 1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....

. This transfer insured his place back into the national team. 1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....

were relegated, and Manchester City FC

Manchester City F.C.

Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

, Portsmouth FC

Portsmouth F.C.

Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...

, Celtic FC

Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

, Galatasaray SK

Galatasaray S.K. (football team)

Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....

and Beşiktaş JK

Besiktas J.K.

were interested in signing the forgotten talent. Alpay remained loyal to 1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....

, stating that his decision was influenced by his family's happiness in Germany. After continuous controversies, Alpay was left out of the squad infinitely until his contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 season.

International

Alpay made 87 appearances for the Turkish national team

Turkey national football team

The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...

, netting four times. Three of those goals was a hat-trick against Macedonia

Republic of Macedonia national football team

The Macedonia national football team is the national football team of the Republic of Macedonia and is controlled by the Football Federation of Macedonia. Due to an ongoing name dispute, it enters international competitions under its country's provisional appellation as "FYR Macedonia"...

during the 2002 FIFA World Cup

2002 FIFA World Cup

qualifier. Alpay featured for Turkey in Euro 1996, Euro 2000, 2002 FIFA World Cup

2002 FIFA World Cup

, and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup

2003 FIFA Confederations Cup

The 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup football tournament was the sixth FIFA Confederations Cup, held in France in June 2003. France retained the title they had won in 2001, but the tournament was overshadowed by the death of Cameroon player Marc-Vivien Foé, who died of heart failure in his side's...

. A very memorable moment in Alpay's career in complete contrast to his general fame was during Euro 96 in the game between Croatia and Turkey. In a counter attack, he allowed Croatian Goran Vlaovic to dribble the ball half the field without fouling him to stop the attack. In consequence, Vlaovic scored the single goal of the game and Turkey lost. Alpay was awarded with a fair-play award due to his action. On 24 June 2000, he was sent off during the first half of the Euro 2000 quarter-final against Portugal

Portugal national football team

The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...

, which his country lost by a score of 0:2. His final match was against Switzerland

Switzerland national football team

The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...

in the 2006 FIFA World Cup

2006 FIFA World Cup

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

second leg play-off tie in Istanbul, which resulted in Turkey's elimination despite a 4–2 victory. Alpay was involved in a brawl at the end of the game and was awarded a six match ban by FIFA

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

Club career statistics

|-
|1992/93||Altay

Altay SK

Altay Spor Kulübü is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of İzmir. Formed in 1914, Altay are nicknamed Büyük Altay . The club colours are black and white, and they play their home matches at İzmir Alsancak Stadium....

||First League||23||1||||||||||23||1
|-
|1993/94||rowspan="6"|Beşiktaş||rowspan="6"|First League||10||0||||||||||10||0
|-
|1994/95||29||3||||||||||29||3
|-
|1995/96||31||2||||||||||31||2
|-
|1996/97||25||3||||||||||25||3
|-
|1997/98||26||1||||||||||26||1
|-
|1998/99||27||0||||||||||27||0
|-
|1999/00||Fenerbahçe||First League||29||3||||||||||29||3

|-
|2000/01||rowspan="4"|Aston Villa

Aston Villa F.C.

||rowspan="4"|Premier League||33||0||||||||||33||0
|-
|2001/02||14||0||||||||||14||0
|-
|2002/03||5||0||||||||||5||0
|-
|2003/04||5||1||||||||||5||1

|-
|2004||Incheon United||K-League

K-League

||8||0||||||||||8||0

|-
|2004||rowspan="2"|Urawa Red Diamonds

Urawa Red Diamonds

||rowspan="2"|J. League 1||10||0||3||0||5||0||18||0
|-
|2005||3||0||0||0||9||0||12||0

|-
|2005/06||rowspan="2"|Köln

1. FC Köln

1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....

||Bundesliga||21||1||||||||||21||1
|-
|2006/07||2. Bundesliga

2. Fußball-Bundesliga

- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...

||27||0||||||||||27||0
200||13||||||||||200||13
65||1||||||||||65||1
8||0||||||||||8||0
13||0||3||0||14||0||30||0
48||1||||||||||48||1
334||15||3||0||14||0||351||15
|}

International career statistics

|-
|1995||15||1
|-
|1996||13||0
|-
|1997||5||0
|-
|1998||5||0
|-
|1999||7||0
|-
|2000||5||0
|-
|2001||11||3
|-
|2002||11||0
|-
|2003||12||0
|-
|2004||0||0
|-
|2005||6||0
|-
!Total||90||4
|}

International goals

Results list Turkey's goal tally first.

Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
June 4, 1995	Toronto Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...		1 goal	3–1	Friendly match
June 6, 2001	Bursa		3 goals	3–3	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 199 teams entered the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. and , as the co-hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 29 spots open for competition....

Beşiktaş

Süper Lig: 1994–95
Turkish Cup: 1994, 1998

External links

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