North Queensland Fury captain Ufuk Talay will retire from professional football at the end of the current A-League season.

The 34-year old will call time on his 18-year career after the Fury play Wellington Phoenix away in February 13 - the final round of the 2010/11 regular season.

Born in Sydney, Talay started his career in 1992 with Marconi Stallions before embarking on a long stint in Europe where he played for Turkish clubs Galatasaray, Antalyaspor, Karabukspor, Bursaspor, Gaziantepspor and Mersin as well as with French outfit Nimes.

He then returned to Australia in 2005 to join Sydney FC before heading to Japan to play with Avispa Fukuoka for a year ahead of his arrival in Townsville in 2009.

Since then he has made 32 A-League appearances for the Fury and he admits it will be tough to walk away from the game he loves so much.

"To be paid to do something you love makes me a very lucky person, and the people I've met and the places I've seen along the way have all helped shape the footballer and person I've become," he said.

"Hopefully the Fury will continue long into the future and my aim is to play an active role in not only the club but developing the next generation of football talent throughout the region."