Alpay Özalan (born 29 May 1973 in İzmir) is a Turkish football player. The Turkish international defender is noted for being the victim of one of the most blatant displays of gamesmanship in recent times. In a 2002 World Cup group match between Turkey and Brazil, he was sent off, allegedly for kicking a ball into the face of Brazilian star Rivaldo. Rivaldo held his hands to his face as if he had been hit there by the ball, and the referee was successfully tricked into sending Alpay off. Television replays proved that Rivaldo was hit in the body, not the face. He later received a large fine from FIFA for this act. May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Shows the Location of the Province İzmir Izmir from space, June 1996 Izmir (Turkish spelling İzmir, contraction of its original Greek name Smyrna, Σμυρνη), the second-largest port (after İstanbul) and the third most populous city (2,409,000 in 2000) of Turkey is located on the Aegean Sea near... The striker (wearing red jersey) has run past the defender (in white jersey) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to stop the ball. ... First International Turkey 2 - 2 Romania (Istanbul, Turkey; October 26, 1923) Largest win Turkey 7 - 0 Syria (Ankara, Turkey; November 20, 1949) Turkey 7 - 0 South Korea (Geneva, Switzerland; June 20, 1954) Turkey 7 - 0 San Marino (Istanbul, Turkey; November 10, 1996) Worst defeat Poland 8 - 0 Turkey (Chorzow, Poland... In association football (soccer), a defender is a player whose position of play is behind the midfielders and first and foremost provide support to the goalkeeper. ... Gamesmanship is the use of dubious (although not technically illegal) methods to win a game, often a sport, such as golf or football. ... The 2002 Football World Cup was held in South Korea and Japan from May 31 to June 30. ... In association football (soccer), a red card is shown by a referee to signify that a player has been sent off following a serious offence. ... Rivaldo, full name Vitor Borba Ferreira, (born April 19, 1972 in Recife) is a Brazilian football player. ... FIFA logo (usage restricted): For the Good of the Game Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the international governing body of the sport of association football (called simply football or soccer). ...

Alpay was named in the World Cup select XI that year, and returned to Aston Villa demanding an extremely large pay increase, and eventually became a very unpopular figure at Villa Park, missing much of the 2002-03 season under Graham Taylor. Alpay returned to the Villa team for the beginning of the 2003/04 season, but was again dropped due to the angry reaction of Villa fans after a goal celebration served to mock them. Graham Taylor (born September 15, 1944, Worksop, Nottinghamshire) is a football manager and a former player. ...

Later, Alpay made a name for himself at the end of 2003 by clashing with England captain David Beckham. The incident caused a rift with Alpay and the English fans, and that, along with the controversies he was previously involved in meant that he was sacked be Aston Villa. He moved to K-League side Incheon United's first foray into professional football in 2004. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... First International Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 11 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First... David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE (born May 2, 1975) is an English footballer born in Leytonstone, London. ... Aston Villa Football Club play at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. ... The Korea Professional Soccer League, more commonly known today as the K-League was founded in 1983 with five member clubs, and is the oldest professional football league in Asia. ... Founded at the end of the 2003 season in the Korean port city of Incheon, Incheon United made their K-League debut in 2004 under the leadership of German manager Werner Lorant. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Alpay spent less than six months with the team before moving to the J. League with Urawa Reds. The J. League (in Japanese: Jリーグ, Officially 日本プロサッカーリーグ) is the top professional football league in Japan. ... The Urawa Red Diamonds (Japanese: 浦和レッドダイヤモンズ), also known as Urawa Reds (Japanese: 浦和レッズ), are one of the most popular football clubs in the J. League. ...