Ufuk Talay

Ufuk Talay (born March 26, 1976 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian football (soccer) player of Turkey descent who currently plays in the central midfielder for Sydney FC in the A-League.

Career

Talay first entered a national competition for Marconi Stallions F.C. in the now defunct NSL, as first an understudy to Steve Corica and later as a midfield partner. He made his debut late in the 92/93 season, playing the last six regular season games and scoring in the final round. Marconi went on to win the grand final with seventeen year old Talay watching as an unused subsitute. Talay remained with Marconi for a further two years, becoming a regular starter in the first team, leading to his selection for the Australia national under-20 football team. He joined the squad in the lead up to the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship, playing a number of qualifiers and retaining his place for the tournament in New Zealand.

Turkey

Seeking a more promising career to build on his NSL and national team experience, Talay joined Turkey giants Galatasaray S.K. in the Turkish Premier Super League. With restrictions on the number of foreign players, his Turkish heritage allowed him to join the squad outside of this rule, but was unable to establish a regular place. He spent time on loan out to other sides in the top flight and lower divisions of Turkey with Antalyaspor, Karabükspor and Bursaspor, followed by a brief six-month stint in the Ligue 2 with Nîmes Olympique, before Galatasaray transferred him to Gaziantepspor in 2002. He shortly moved again to Türk Telekom League A side Mersin Idman Yurdu, before being enticed to return to Australia with Sydney FC in the new A-League competition.

Sydney FC

As the sixteenth player signed to the inaugural Sydney FC squad, Talay sought to reignite his football career and at Sydney was reunited with former Marconi teammates Corica and Matthew Bingley, as well as Clint Bolton and Robbie Middleby whom shared the experience of the Youth World Cup. He has been described by Socceroo Josip Skoko as "the best player to never represent Australia national football team", and Talay has expressed his desire for a full international cap. A motivation for his return to Australia is "the chance to get back in the spotlight and get that Aussie shirt".

His first season was cut short by a knee injury, missing the last seven games (including the grand final) after solid performances in the A-League and FIFA Club World Cup. As the A-League 2006-07 season started, Talay found himself on the outer as new coach Terry Butcher favoured a central pairing of Terry McFlynn and Mark Milligan. His early appearances of the season were as a late substitute, before other injuries opened the opportunity to win back a first team place, which he held for much of the remainder of the year. He also took over penalty-duties for the side, making the most of the opportunity twice in the year. Two yellow cards in the final league match saw Talay suspended for Sydney's first leg final against Newcastle United Jets but on return for the second leg he could not prevent the club's elimination.

Following the close of the A-League season, Sydney proceeded on to the AFC Champions League 2007 competition. Talay played all six group-stage games, scoring goals against Shanghai Shenhua and Urawa Reds. In the return match against Shanghai Shenhua, he sensationally hit the crossbar from the penalty spot, Sydney eventually drawing the match 0-0.

Talay will return with Sydney for the A-League 2007-08 season, continuing into the final season of his original three-year contract.

Style of play

Talay is suited to play in central midfield and is known for his good distribution and on-field vision.