Brian Kaltak

Brian Kaltak (born 30 September 1993) is a Vanuatuan professional footballer who plays as a central defender for A-League club Central Coast Mariners and the Vanuatu national team.

Brian Kaltak
Kaltak in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth (1993-09-30) 30 September 1993
Place of birth Erakor, Vanuatu
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Central Coast Mariners
Number 3
Youth career
–2010 Teouma Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Waterside Karori
2011–2012 Hekari United
2012–2013 Solomon Warriors
2014 Hekari United
2014–2015 Amicale
2015–2016 Solomon Warriors
2016–2017 Erakor Golden Star
2017–2018 Tasman United 10 (1)
2018 → Lautoka (loan) 2 (0)
2018–2022 Auckland City 49 (7)
2022 FK Beograd 5 (0)
2022– Central Coast Mariners 23 (0)
International career‡
Vanuatu U17[2]
2014 Vanuatu U20 4 (1)
2015 Vanuatu U23 2 (6)
2011– Vanuatu 20 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 May 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 December 2021

Career

Kaltak has played club football with Waterside Karori, Hekari United, Solomon Warriors, Amicale, Erakor Golden Star and Tasman United.[3][4]

Kaltak trained with A-League club Wellington Phoenix from July 2011 until late January 2012 after being invited by coach Ricki Herbert and receiving $15,000 in financial support from Oceania Football Confederation to cover costs.[4][5]

Auckland City

On 3 October 2018, Kaltak signed for Auckland City.[6] He scored his first goal for the club on 27 January 2019, scoring from a free kick in a 3–2 win over Eastern Suburbs.[7] In 2020, Kaltak became the first ni-Vanuatu to win the New Zealand Football Championship as a player.[8]

Australia

In April 2022, Kaltak went on trial with A-League Men club Central Coast Mariners.[9] He signed for Australian club FK Beograd in June 2022 along with fellow Vanuatu international Jeffrey Tasso,[10] before returning to Central Coast on trial in August 2022, prior to the start of the 2022–23 A-League Men season.[11]

Kaltak signed for Central Coast Mariners on 27 September 2022.[12]

International career

Kaltak made his international debut for Vanuatu in 2011.[3]

In March 2022, Kaltak went to Qatar for the World Cup qualifiers.[13] Vanuatu's first match was scheduled against Tahiti on 17 March 2022, but the team was forced to withdraw from the tournament without playing a game due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the travelling contingent.[14]

Personal life

Kaltak was born in Erakor, and moved to Port Vila to obtain his secondary education.[15] Brian's cousins Tony and Jean also play for the national team.[16] The pair were both named in the 2012 OFC Nations Cup squad.[17]

In 2021, Kaltak told the New Zealand High Commission in Vanuatu that he believed athletes should avoid tobacco as part of World No Tobacco Day.[18]

Produced by Fulwell 73, FIFA released Captains in 2022, an eight-part sports docuseries following six national team captains in their respective 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns.[19] Kaltak, representing Vanuatu, starred alongside Thiago Silva (Brazil), Luka Modrić (Croatia), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Andre Blake (Jamaica) and Hassan Maatouk (Lebanon).[19] It was released by Netflix and also shown on FIFA's own streaming platform, FIFA+.[20]

Career statistics

International
As of match played 18 July 2019[1]
Vanuatu score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kaltak goal.
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 3 June 2012Lawson Tama Stadium, Honiara, Solomon Islands8 Samoa2–05–02012 OFC Nations Cup
2 10 November 2015Korman Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu11 Fiji1–02–1Friendly
3 26 March 2016Port Vila Municipal Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu12 New Caledonia2–12–1
4 4 June 2016Sir John Guise Stadium, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea15 Fiji3–23–22016 OFC Nations Cup
5 18 July 2019National Soccer Stadium, Apia, Samoa21 Samoa10–011–02019 Pacific Games

References
  1. Brian Kaltak at Soccerway
  2. "OFC U-17 CHAMPIONSHIP – GOALS GALORE ON OPENING DAY". Oceania Football Confederation. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  3. "Brian Kaltak". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. "Kaltack kicking on in Wellington". OFC. 11 June 2011. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  5. "OFC sponsor Kaltack in Phoenix traineeship". OFC. 7 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  6. Brian Kaltak confirmed for Navy Bluesv, aucklandcityfc.com, 3 October 2018
  7. "Stuff.co.nz". Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  8. "Brian Kaltak crowned national champion in New Zealand top-league". Vanuatu Daily Post.
  9. "Auckland City defender Brian Kaltak trialling with A-League's Mariners". Friends of Football. 7 April 2022.
  10. "FK Beograd sign Jeffrey Tasso and Brian Kaltak".
  11. Romena, Romeka (18 August 2022). "Kaltak joins Central Coast Mariners for trials". Fiji Live.
  12. "Mariners sign experienced Vanuatu international Brian Kaltak". Central Coast Mariners. 27 September 2022.
  13. Abel, Jason. "Kaltak excited for World Cup qualifiers". Vanuatu Daily Post.
  14. Tahiti vs. Vanuatu - Football Match Summary - March 17, 2022
  15. Natoga, Anasilini. "National football elite captain Brian Kaltak signs for new FIFA documentary". Vanuatu Daily Post.
  16. "Kaltacks primed for Vanuatu bid". oceaniafootball.com. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  17. "Vanuatu squad set for Nation Cup". Vanuatu Football Federation. 12 May 2012. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  18. "New Zealand High Commission in Vanuatu - #CommittoQuit #WorldNoTobaccoDay2021 Meet Vanuatu's Brian Kaltak who plays for Auckland City FC. Brian joined Auckland City FC in October 2018 and, as part World No Tobacco Day 2021, he encourages all athletes and young people to avoid smoking. "Live always a healthy lifestyle and stay away from tobacco," Brian said. This year the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2021 is 'Commit to Quit'. World No Tobacco Day 2021 raises awareness to help reduce the use of tobacco and protect the health of the people. Below is a photo of Brian. Brian Kaltak Vanuatu Football Federation | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
  19. "FIFA launches FIFA+ to bring free football entertainment to fans everywhere". FIFA. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  20. Zaazaa, Bassam (14 October 2022). "Lebanon's captain Hassan Maatouk to star in Netflix football documentary". Arab News. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
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