Alpay Özalan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alpay Özalan
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Alpay training with 1. FC Köln in 2006
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| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 7 July 2018 |
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| Constituency | İzmir (II) (2018, 2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born |
Fehmi Alpay Özalan
30 May 1973 İzmir, Turkey |
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| Political party | Justice and Development Party (2018–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fehmi Alpay Özalan (born May 29, 1973) is a famous Turkish former professional footballer. He was a football manager and is now a politician. He played as a defender. Alpay played 90 international games for Turkey between 1995 and 2005. This makes him one of Turkey's most capped players ever. He played in two European Championships and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was even chosen for the World Cup's "Team of the Tournament." Since 2018, he has been a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He represents the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Contents
Football Career Highlights
Early Club Days
Alpay Özalan started his senior football career at Soma Linyitspor. His strong play quickly got the attention of bigger teams in Turkey.
In 1993, Alpay joined Beşiktaş, one of Turkey's top clubs. He played 148 matches for Beşiktaş and scored nine goals. After six years, he moved to Fenerbahçe on loan. He played 26 matches there, scoring three times.
Playing for Aston Villa
After playing very well for Turkey in Euro 2000, Alpay signed with the English club Aston Villa. He had a great first season and became popular with the fans. He formed a strong defense with his teammate Olof Mellberg.
Alpay got injured, but he recovered in time for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In this tournament, he was a key part of Turkey's strong defense. Turkey finished third, and Alpay was named in the tournament's best team. After the World Cup, big European clubs like Barcelona and Internazionale were interested in him.
However, things became difficult at Aston Villa. Alpay's contract was ended by Aston Villa in October 2003. This happened after a disagreement with England's captain, David Beckham, during a Euro 2004 qualifying match.
Playing in Asia and Germany
After leaving Aston Villa, Alpay decided to play in South Korea. He joined Incheon United in 2004. He even became a South Korean citizen during his time there.
He then moved to Japan to play for Urawa Red Diamonds. In his first season, he was named the best defender of the year. Later, he had some issues with red cards, and his contract was ended.
In 2005, Alpay signed a one-year contract with the German team 1. FC Köln in the Bundesliga. This move helped him get back into the Turkish national team. He stayed with the club even after they were relegated, because his family was happy in Germany.
International Football Career
Alpay Özalan played 90 matches for the Turkish national team. He scored four goals for his country. Three of these goals were a hat-trick against Macedonia in a World Cup qualifier.
He was one of Turkey's best players in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Turkey achieved an amazing third place in the tournament. Alpay also played for Turkey in Euro 1996, Euro 2000, and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.
A special moment happened during Euro 1996. In a game against Croatia, Alpay allowed an opponent to run with the ball without fouling him. The opponent scored, and Turkey lost. But Alpay received a fair-play award for his sportsmanship. His final international match was in 2005 against Switzerland.
Life as a Politician
On June 24, 2018, Alpay Özalan was elected as a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He represents the city of Izmir for the AKP party. He said he was even more excited on his first day in parliament than when playing football in front of huge crowds.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Soma Linyitspor | 1991–92 | TFF Third League | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 2 | ||
| Altay | 1992–93 | 1. Lig | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 1993–94 | 1. Lig | 11 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| 1994–95 | 29 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | 31 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 2 | ||
| 1996–97 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 4 | ||
| 1997–18 | 26 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 3 | ||
| 1998–99 | 27 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 1 | ||
| Total | 150 | 9 | 26 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 217 | 15 | ||
| Siirt Jet-Pa Spor | 1999–2000 | TFF First League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fenerbahçe (loan) | 1999–2000 | 1. Lig | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 4 |
| Aston Villa | 2000–01 | Premier League | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 2001–02 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 58 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 71 | 1 | ||
| Incheon United | 2004 | K League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2004 | J1 League | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |||
| Köln | 2005–06 | Bundesliga | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2006–07 | 2. Bundesliga | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | |||
| 2007–08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 48 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 50 | 1 | ||||
| Career total | 348 | 14 | 33 | 6 | 32 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 447 | 21 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 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
- Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Özalan goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 June 1995 | Toronto, Canada |  Canada |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly match |
| 2 | 6 June 2001 | Bursa, Turkey |  Macedonia |
1–2 | 3–3 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 2–2 | |||||
| 4 | 3–3 |
Honours
Beşiktaş
- Süper Lig: 1994–95
- Turkish Cup: 1994, 1998
- Turkish Super Cup: 1998
Aston Villa
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001
Urawa Red Diamonds
- Emperor's Cup: 2005
Turkey
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2002
- FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2003
Individual
- FIFA World Cup All Star Team: 2002
- J1 League Defender of the Year: 2004
Order
- Turkish State Medal of Distinguished Service
See also
In Spanish: Alpay Özalan para niños
