Alpay Özalan

Alpay Özalan
Alpay during a training session with 1. FC Köln from 2006.
Personal information
Full name	Fehmi Alpay Özalan
Date of birth	(1973-05-29) 29 May 1973 (age 41)
Place of birth	İzmir, Turkey
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1992–1993	Altay	23	(1)
1993–1999	Beşiktaş	148	(9)
1999–2000	Fenerbahçe	29	(3)
2000–2003	Aston Villa	57	(1)
2003–2004	Incheon United	8	(0)
2004–2005	Urawa Red	13	(0)
2005–2007	1. FC Köln	48	(1)
Total		326	(15)
National team
1992–1994	Turkey U21	19	(0)
1993	Turkey Olympic	4	(0)
1995–2005	Turkey	87	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Fehmi Alpay Özalan, known as Alpay, (born 29 May 1973) is a former Turkish footballer, who is currently a member of the management committee of Siirtspor.^[1]

He played 87 internationals for Turkey, including at two European Championships and the 2002 World Cup, in which he was selected for the Team of the Tournament.

Playing style

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

Club career

Early career

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

In 1993, Alpay signed for Turkish giants Beşiktaş. Alpay set a record in the Süper Lig, earning three red cards in the space of six months. He played 148 matches for Beşiktaş, netting nine times. After six years at the club, a new deal could not be negotiated. His contact was initially bought by Siirt Jetpaspor, and he was then loaned to Fenerbahçe. In his sole season at Fenerbahçe, he played 26 matches, and found the net three times.

Aston Villa

After superlative performances for his country at Euro 2000, Alpay signed for English club Aston Villa. He enjoyed a good first season with Villa, becoming a fan favourite. His abilities caught the interest of Arsenal and Newcastle United.^[2] The arrival of Olof Mellberg saw Alpay and the Swedish international produce one of the most talented central-defensive partnerships in Europe^{[citation needed]}. The partnership was cut short as Alpay injured his ankle which sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He recovered just in time for the 2002 World Cup, in which he formed the core of an obstinate Turkish defensive unit. They finished third and he was elected into the team of the tournament.

The biggest clubs in Europe took note of his performances in the Far East, including the likes of FC Barcelona and Internazionale.^[3][4] Aston Villa 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. Their goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, defended Alpay in his article in the English newspaper, The Times.

Alpay returned to the Aston Villa 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. However Alpay went on to score the first goal of that game.^[6] In consequence to his earlier booing, Alpay's goal celebration served to mock the Aston Villa fans by placing his finger on his mouth. He was again dropped due to their angry reaction. The Turkish defender was then made public enemy number one in England^{[citation needed]} in late 2003 after a run-in with David Beckham during the Euro 2004 qualifier in Istanbul. He first confronted the England skipper after his first-half penalty miss, glowering over him and rubbing heads with him in full view of the referee. He followed that up by prodding a finger into Beckham's face as the players came off the pitch at half-time, sparking a tunnel brawl. Due to the angry reactions in England, his contract was terminated by Aston Villa on 23 October. Club chairman Doug Ellis declared:

Incheon United

Werder Bremen, Hamburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hertha Berlin, and Bologna wanted to sign Alpay.^[8] However, the European transfer window was closed and he did not want to wait to play football again. He opted for a move to South Korean K-League side Incheon United'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 with Urawa Red Diamonds. In his first season with the club, 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 team 1. FC Köln. This transfer ensured his place back into the national team. They were relegated, and Manchester City, Portsmouth, Celtic, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş were interested in signing him. Alpay remained loyal to the club, stating that his decision was influenced by his family's happiness in Germany. After continuous controversies, he was left out of the squad infinitely until his contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 season.

International career

Alpay made 87 appearances for the Turkish national team, netting four times. Three of those goals was a hat-trick against Macedonia during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Alpay featured for Turkey in Euro 1996, Euro 2000, 2002 FIFA World Cup, and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. A very memorable moment in Alpay's career in complete contrast to his general fame was during Euro 1996 in the game between Croatia and Turkey. In a counterattack, he allowed Croatian Goran Vlaović 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, which his country lost by a score of 2–0. His final match was against Switzerland in the 2006 FIFA World Cup 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.^[9]

Club career statistics

^[10]

International career statistics

^[11]

International goals

Results list Turkey's goal tally first.

Honours

Beşiktaş

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

Urawa Red Diamonds

• Emperor's Cup: 2005

Individual

• 2002 FIFA World Cup: All-Star Squad
• J.League Defender of the Year: 2004

References

External links

• Official website (Turkish)
• Alpay Ozalan short-video
• Alpay Özalan at fussballdaten.de (German)
• Alpay Özalan at worldfootball.net
• Alpay Özalan – FIFA competition record
• Alpay Özalan at National-Football-Teams.com
• Alpay Özalan at kleague.com