Matthew Graham McKay (born 11 January 1983) is a retired Australian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who last played for Australian

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

club

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's football pyramid. When Queensland Lions F.C. were ...

, and previously with the Australian national team. McKay currently holds the club's record for league appearances, 272. McKay played for

since their first season in the

, and was their club captain up until the 2010–11 season, in which he led Brisbane to their first ever A-League championship and premiership. Following this triumphant victory McKay sought a new challenge in the first division of the Scottish Premiership with Rangers. McKay played an integral role in Australia's second placing in the

2011 AFC Asian Cup The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011. It was the secon ...

notably with 30m cross to centre forward

Harry Kewell Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian soccer coach, manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League. As a player, Kewell represented Leeds United F.C., Leeds United, Liverpool ...

. He was also part of the Australian squad at the

2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

and

2015 AFC Asian Cup The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 201 ...

Club career

McKay spent his formative youth years at both the QAS and AIS. McKay's first club signing was in 1991 for the Sunnybank Saints Soccer Club, competing under the Queensland Christian Soccer Association. McKay was signed by NSL team the Brisbane Strikers in 2001, where he stayed until the conclusion of the 2003–04 National Soccer League season. McKay's last game for the Strikers was a 4–1 Victory over

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...

in the Elimination Final #1 as the Strikers could only level the tie 4–4 and bow out of the finals on away goals.

Brisbane Roar

McKay signed on as an inaugural member of the, then,

Queensland Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional Association football, soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's Australian soccer league system ...

prior to the 2005–06 season – the first in the history of the

. McKay was given the number 17 shirt, which he has retained throughout his career at the Roar. Initially signed as a squad player behind the more established

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n duo Hyuk-Su Seo and Tae-Yong Shin, McKay quickly got his opportunity due to a career-ending injury suffered by Shin in the clubs' first ever A-League fixture, against the now defunct, New Zealand Knights. Following the departure of club captain, Craig Moore midway through the 2009–10 season, McKay was named as club captain. He has played the highest number of games for the Roar with 184 appearances, scoring 21 goals. McKay led Brisbane to their first

premiership and championship in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. The Roar topped the table, and continued their record-breaking 28-game (run finished at 36) unbeaten run with a miraculous 4–2 (2–2 aet) penalty shoot-out win over the

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Mar ...

in the 2011 A-League Grand Final. It was reported after the match that a stirring speech by McKay at half-time in extra time boosted the Roar's morale sufficiently to unbelievably overcome a 2–0 deficit. During his time at Brisbane Roar, McKay had a loan spell in 2009 during the A-League off season.. He joined Changchun Yatai F.C. in the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

where he made 15 appearances.

Rangers

On 16 August 2011 Rangers confirmed the signing of McKay awaiting a work-permit, which was granted three days later, with a UK work visa granted a week later. McKay made his Rangers debut against

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...

on 10 September 2011, coming on as a late substitute. On 12 January 2012, it was reported that he had rejected the chance to go on loan to Al Ittihad who reportedly made an offer to Rangers of a loan-to-buy deal.

Busan IPark

Rangers began to have financial problems and on 14 February 2012 a dispute with HMRC came to a head when the business was placed into administration. Rangers were deducted 10 points as per SPL rules, which left them 14 points behind leaders Celtic. On 22 February 2012, Rangers confirmed that they had agreed a fee with South Korean club

Busan IPark Busan IPark FC () is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan that competes in K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean football pyramid. They play their home games at the Busan Gudeok Stadium. Busan IPark was founded as ...

for midfielder Matt McKay.

Changchun Yatai

In January 2013, McKay signed a two-year deal with

side

Changchun Yatai Changchun Yatai Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Changchun, Jilin, that competes in . Changchun Yatai plays its home matches at the Changchun Stadium, located within Nanguan District. The club's founder and main ...

. In July 2013, McKay mutually terminated his contract by the club.

Brisbane Roar

On 11 August 2013, McKay was announced as

Australian Marquee for the next 2 seasons

International career

McKay represented Australia at U-20 level in the

2003 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 14th FIFA World Youth Championship. It took place in United Arab Emirates between 27 November and 19 December 2003. Brazil claimed their fourth title, becoming the first country to simultaneously ho ...

. On 16 August 2006, McKay came on as a substitute for Australia in the 90th minute of the 2007 Asian Cup qualifying match against

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Sydney Football Stadium Sydney Football Stadium may refer to: * Sydney Football Stadium (1988), the original stadium which was demolished in 2019. * Sydney Football Stadium (2022) Sydney Football Stadium, currently known as Allianz Stadium for sponsorship reasons, i ...

for his first Socceroo cap. McKay would have to wait until 28 January 2009 for his second cap, starting in Australia's 2011 Asian Cup qualifying match against

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

in Jakarta. He would also feature in two more qualification games for the 2011 Asian Cup, starting against Kuwait on 5 March 2009 at

Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium, commercially known as GIO Stadium Canberra, is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sp ...

and playing the second half of the return tie against Indonesia on 3 March 2010 at

Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...

. McKay missed out on

Pim Verbeek Peter Tim Dirk "Pim" Verbeek (12 March 1956 – 28 November 2019) was a Dutch football manager who last coached the Oman national football team. Playing career As a player, Verbeek was a defender or a midfielder and spent his entire career at S ...

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

squad, however he returned to the Socceroos under new manager Holger Osieck and featured in three of Australia's friendlies in the leadup to the

. He came off the bench in the match against

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

on 9 October 2010 at the

as well as coming off the bench against

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

on 17 November 2010. McKay was selected for the

squad by Holger Osieck, and started in the team's pre-tournament friendly against the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

on 5 January 2011 in

Al Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...

. McKay went on to play a part in every game Australia played at the tournament, initially coming off the bench in the first two games against

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

. He was named in the starting 11 for both the final group stage match against

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

and the subsequent quarter-final match against

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, and played a vital role in the latter, leading Australia to a 1–0 extra time victory, executing an inch-perfect cross for striker

to head into the goal for the match winner. McKay retained his starting position for the semi-final against

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

, and was again a key player for Australia in the team's 6–0 win, setting up three goals and being awarded man of the match. Due to McKay's excellent form, he was retained in the starting XI by Osieck for the Asian Cup Final, playing the full 120 minutes as the Socceroos lost 1–0 to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. McKay captained Australia for the first time on 7 December 2012 against

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

in the

2013 EAFF East Asian Cup The 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup was the 5th edition of this regional competition, the football championship of East Asia. Two preliminary competitions were held during 2012. Mongolia were suspended from the EAFF and could not compete in any EAFF c ...

qualifiers. Australia won the match 9–0. McKay also represented Australia at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, playing in his preferred midfield position. McKay was named as part of Australia's

squad. He made his first appearance of the tournament as a starter in Australia's 2nd group game against

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

, scoring Australia's first goal of the game off a Trent Sainsbury header, in an eventual 4–0 win.

Career statistics

Club

¹ – includes

final series statistics
² – includes

Korean FA Cup The Korea Cup (), formerly the Korean FA Cup, is a national Association football, football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the competition was established in 1996, two simil ...

and

FFA Cup The Australia Cup (currently known as the Hahn Australia Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Football Australia (known as Football Federation Austra ...

statistics ³ – includes

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...

statistics;

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

statistics are included in season commencing after group stages (i.e. ACL and A-League seasons etc.)

International

Honours

Player

Brisbane Roar *

Premiership:

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, 2013–14 *

Championship:

, 2013–14 Australia *

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

; runner-up

Australia U-20 *

OFC U-19 Men's Championship The OFC U-19 Championship is a tournament held once every two years to decide the under-19 champions of Oceania and also decides who will represent Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) at the biennial FIFA U-20 World Cup. Between 1974 and 2012, t ...

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

Individual

Gary Wilkins Medal: 2006–07 *

Players Player of the Year: 2006–07,

Members Player of the Year: 2006–07,

* Football Media Association Player of the Year

* PFA Footballer of the Year: 2010–11 * PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2010–11 * PFA A-League Team of the Decade: (2005–2015)

References

External links

Aussie Footballers
McGowan to McLelland * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Matt 1983 births A-League Men players Brisbane Roar FC players Men's association football midfielders Soccer players from Brisbane Australian expatriate men's soccer players Australia men's international soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in South Korea Expatriate men's footballers in China Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Australian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Australian expatriate sportspeople in China Australian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland National Soccer League (Australia) players K League 1 players Scottish Premier League players Brisbane Strikers FC players Incheon United FC players Chinese Super League players Changchun Yatai F.C. players Rangers F.C. players Busan IPark players 2011 AFC Asian Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 AFC Asian Cup players Australian Institute of Sport soccer players Sportsmen from Queensland Living people AFC Asian Cup–winning players Marquee players (A-League Men) Australian men's soccer players Eastern Suburbs FC players 21st-century Australian sportsmen