Fenerbahçe Turkish national team
Which team did Alpay Özalan play for from 1999 to 2000?
Alpay Özalan Fehmi Alpay Özalan ( born 29 May 1973 ) is a Turkish former professional footballer , football manager and politician . He last worked as the manager of Samsunspor . He played 90 international games for Turkey between 1995 and 2005 , making him Turkeys seventh-most capped player of all time . This included performances at two European Championships and the 2002 World Cup , in which he was selected for the Team of the Tournament . Club career . Early career . Özalan began his career at Altay . His performances caught the eyes of the biggest teams in Turkey . In 1993 , Özalan signed for one of the Turkish giants Beşiktaş . Özalan 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 , Özalan signed for English club Aston Villa . He enjoyed a good first season with Villa and he became a fan favourite . His abilities caught the interest of Arsenal and Newcastle United . His partnership with Olof Mellberg as central-defensive partners was cut short as Özalan 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 . Aston Villa manager Graham Taylor refused to sell him , which was the beginning of Özalans downfall at Villa Park . Media reports and comments made by Taylor led to Özalan becoming a very unpopular figure at the club , missing much of the 2002–03 season . Their goalkeeper , Peter Schmeichel , defended Özalan in his article in the English newspaper , The Times . Özalan 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 Özalan went on to score the first goal of that game . In consequence to his earlier booing , Özalans 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 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 Beckhams 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 Özalan . 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 Uniteds first foray into professional football in 2004 . He became a South Korean citizen while he was playing there . Urawa Red Diamonds . Özalan spent less than six months with the team before moving to the J1 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 , Özalan 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 . Özalan stayed with the club , stating that his decision was influenced by his familys happiness in Germany . International career . Özalan made 87 appearances for the Turkish national team , netting four times . Three of those goals were a hat-trick against Macedonia during the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier . He was one of the best players for his country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup , where the team reached an unprecedented third place in the tournament . Özalan also featured for Turkey in Euro 1996 , Euro 2000 and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup . A very memorable moment in Özalans 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 , Vlaović scored the single goal of the game and Turkey lost . Özalan 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 , conceding a second-minute penalty by handball , converted by Alexander Frei which resulted in Turkeys elimination despite a 4–2 victory . Özalan was involved in a brawl at the end of the game and was awarded a six-match ban by FIFA . Politician . He got elected on 24 June 2018 for the Grand National Assembly of Turkey running for the Justice and Development Party ( AKP ) . Honours . Beşiktaş - Süper Lig : 1994–95 - Turkish Cup : 1994 , 1998 Aston Villa - UEFA Intertoto Cup : 2001 Urawa Red Diamonds - Emperors Cup : 2005 Turkey - FIFA World Cup : Third Place : 2002 - FIFA Confederations Cup : Third Place : 2003 Individual - 2002 FIFA World Cup : All-Star Squad - J1 League Defender of the Year : 2004 External links . - ( as coach ) - Alpay Ozalan short-video