Altay Bayındır

Altay Bayındır — Biography

Altay Bayındır, standing 1.98 m, is one of Turkish football's prominent goalkeepers and the first Turkish player to sign for Manchester United. Now Turkey's national-team goalkeeper and a member of the 2026 World Cup squad, he joined Spain's Celta Vigo on a season-long loan in August 2026.

Born in the Osmangazi district of Bursa, he began his career at Ankaragücü, won the TFF Second League with them in 2016-17 and made his Süper Lig debut against Çaykur Rizespor in November 2018. He moved to Fenerbahçe in July 2019, became first choice after keeping goal against Real Madrid in the Audi Cup, and made 145 appearances; he was named the Süper Lig's best goalkeeper in 2020-21 and won the Turkish Cup in 2022-23. He signed for Manchester United in September 2023 and was in the squad that won the 2023-24 FA Cup. In the January 2025 FA Cup tie against Arsenal he saved Ødegaard's penalty and then Havertz's shoot-out effort, earning Man of the Match; he was also part of the side that reached the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League final. He started 2025-26 as first choice and returned to a backup role in October.

He played for Turkey 14 times at youth level, including the 2018 Toulon Tournament. His senior debut came against Azerbaijan in May 2021, and he was in the squads for EURO 2020 and EURO 2024.