With Ufuk Talay announced as the new Head Coach of Sydney FC, we take a look back at his career starting all the way back in the NSL to now the helm of the most successful football team in the country.
1992-1995 | NSL
Ufuk Talay made his debut for Marconi Stallions back in 1992 and was an attacking midfielder, playing alongside Steve Corica no less.
The teenager was beginning to impress in the NSL, scoring goals and becoming a regular starter in the side and he was rewarded with a call up to the Australian U20s side and played in the 1995 FIFA Youth World Cup. After this he secured a move overseas.
1995-2005 | Turkey & France
Talay wanted to apply his trade overseas and he managed to secure a move to Turkey where he signed with Galatasaray in 1995. Obviously still very young, Talay was loaned out to a variety of clubs in the Turkish first and second division including Antalyaspor, Karabukspor, Buraspor & Nimes Olympique in France. In between his loan spells, he racked up 28 appearances with his parent club Galatasaray.
He then moved onto Gaziantepspor and Mersin Idmaniryurdu before moving back to Australia to sign with Sydney FC in their inaugural season.
2005-2011 | Australia & Japan
Ufuk Talay returned to his home country and signed as one of the foundation players at Sydney FC and was reunited with former Marconi Stallions team-mate Steve Corica along with Clint Bolton and Robbie Middleby who he played with at the FIFA Youth World Cup.
At the Sky Blues he made 85 appearances across the competitions of the Oceanic Club Championship, A-League, FIFA Club World Cup and Asian Champions League.
In 2008, after a highly successful spell back in Australia, the midfielder jetted off to Japan and spent a season with Avispa Fukuoka where he played 37 matches in the 42 game campaign.
Talay returned to Australia following that to sign with North Queensland Fury where he played until the 2011 A-League season, calling time on his 19 year career.
2012-current | Managerial Career
After hanging up the boots as a player, Talay turned to coaching and was an assistant coach at Sydney United for one season and then transitioned into assistant coach at the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport). From there he transitioned to working in the national team set-up as assistant coach of the U17’s before taking on the role of Head Coach of the U20’s in 2016.
After concluding his two year spell with the U20 Australian side, Talay returned to Sydney FC to work under Head Coach Steve Corica where he was part of the coaching staff that finished 2nd in the league and won the Isuzu UTE A-League Championship in Perth in front of 56,000 people.
Following the success at the Sky Blues as Assistant, Talay took the reigns of the Wellington Phoenix and after a rocky start, led them to a third place finish in the 2019/20 season, picking up the PFA’s award for Coach of the season.
He also led the Wellington Phoenix through the COVID induced restriction that forced the relocation of the entire squad for nearly two seasons in Australia. In his time with the New Zealand club he made finals three times and was one point off of doing that in the other season.
Last season he left the Phoenix and now joins Sydney FC as Head Coach for the next two seasons. Talay will take charge of the team this weekend away against Adelaide United.
