Ufuk Talay

Ufuk Talay (born 26 March 1976) is an Australian football coach and former player.

He is currently the head coach of Sydney FC.

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

His first national level selection was for the Young Socceroos in 1994.

He joined the squad in a number of Youth World Cup qualifiers and retained his place for the 1995 Youth World Cup in Qatar.

He spent time on loan out to other sides in the Turkish top flight and lower divisions with Antalyaspor, Karabükspor and Bursaspor, followed by a brief six-month stint in the French second division with Nîmes Olympique, before Galatasaray transferred him to Gaziantepspor in 2002.

He shortly moved again to second division side Mersin Idman Yurdu, before being enticed to return to Australia with Sydney FC in the new A-League competition.

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", 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 Club World Cup.

As the 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 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 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.

In the return match against Shanghai Shenhua, he sensationally hit the crossbar from the penalty spot, Sydney eventually drawing the match 0–0.

'

Talay remains with Sydney for the 2007/08 season, continuing into the final season of his original three-year contract, playing every game of the season except one (due to suspension after receiving a fourth yellow card for the year the previous match).

In December 2007, it was announced that he would follow former Sydney FC teammate Mark Rudan to Japan, signing with second division side Avispa Fukuoka, the move completed in February at the close of Sydney's season.

Talay Joined fellow Australians Mark Rudan and Newcastle's Joel Griffiths becoming the third Australian in their squad.

He was an immediate success, scoring twice in three games, and netting a third in his fifth game.

In January 2008, he was named by coach Pim Verbeek in a 22-man Socceroos training camp squad, made up entirely of A-League players, in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup third round qualifiers in Sydney.

However, he did not make the final 39-man squad for the qualifiers.

Talay returned to Australia in 2009 after signing a two-year deal with newly established A-League franchise North Queensland Fury FC, after expressing interest in returning home to his family.

He played in their inaugural year, the A-League 2009-10 season and the following season.

Talay was recommended as captain by former teammate Robbie Middleby.

Despite announcing his retirement once North Queensland Fury folded, It was announced on 12 March 2011 that Talay had signed for NSW Premier League club Sydney United.

Talay was assistant coach at the FFA Centre of Excellence and the Australia under-17 team, before replacing Paul Okon as head coach of the under-20 team in September 2016.

In June 2018, he left his role with the national set-up to join Sydney FC as assistant to Steve Corica, a teammate during his previous spell at the club.

He was the manager of Wellington Phoenix from 2019 to 2023.

Talay first entered a national competition for Marconi-Fairfield 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 substitute.

Talay remained with Marconi for a further two years, becoming a regular starter in the first team.

Seeking a more promising career to build on his NSL and national team experience, Talay joined Turkish giants Galatasaray in the Turkish Super League.

On 4 May 2019, Talay was announced as head coach for the Wellington Phoenix for the upcoming 2019–20 A-League season.

In his first press conference, Talay expressed his idea of building a young team with a strong Kiwi core.

Talay had a positive start to his managerial tenure with the Wellington Phoenix when he led them to a 7–0 victory over Wairarapa United in a pre-season friendly in his first match in charge.