Brian Kaltak

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

Early life
Brian Kaltak was born on 30 September 1993, in Erakor, Vanuatu. His father, Timothy Kaltak, played a significant role in shaping his early passion for the sport.

From a young age, Kaltak idolised his father and would follow him to the local sports field after school. He was also influenced by Brazilian player Ronaldinho.

Kaltak's began playing football at the age of seven. In Erakor, where resources were limited, the village children would play barefoot. As they grew older, they had only three pairs of boots to be shared among twenty kids, necessitating turns to wear them. Kaltak, would wear a single boot on his right foot.

After school, Kaltak would play football. When the school locked away their few balls in the changing rooms after school, they would create makeshift balls using plastic bags and sellotape.

Early career
At the young age of 15, he was promoted to Erakor Golden Star first-team, after most of the club's senior players left following their recent relegation to the First Division. Alongside a promising group of fellow youngsters, they worked hard and won the competition, earning promotion back to the Premier League within two years. Brian's skills even caught the attention of Colin Tuaa, a former New Zealand international player, during an Oceania Football Confederation tournament in New Zealand. Impressed by Brian's abilities, Colin arranged a six-month scholarship for him to train with the A-League club Wellington Phoenix while continuing to play local football with Waterside Karori. To support his training and development, Brian received financial assistance of NZ$15,000 from the Oceania Football Confederation, covering the costs associated with his training and ensuring he had the opportunity to grow as a player.

Auckland City
On 3 October 2018, Kaltak signed for Auckland City. 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. In 2020, Kaltak became the first ni-Vanuatu to win the New Zealand Football Championship as a player.

Central Coast Mariners
Kaltak soon moved to Australia in April 2022 and began with an initial trial with Central Coast Mariners towards the end of the 2021/22 A-League season. His opportunity with the Mariners came through coach Josh Smith, who played a pivotal role in facilitating his arrival in Australia and arranging the trial. Unfortunately, during the trial, Kaltak sustained an injury, preventing him from continuing the trial. As the season concluded in June and Kaltak continued his rehabilitation, he followed Smith to FK Beograd, a South Australian NPL side, where Smith took on a coaching role.

In August, Kaltak was given another chance to impress after being offered another trial at Central Coast Mariners ahead of the 2022–23 A-League season where he successfully impressed head coach Nick Montgomery. On 27 September, Kaltak signed an injury replacement contract with the Central Coast Mariners, becoming the first Vanuatu professional football player in the history of Vanuatu football. Kaltak made his professional debut on 16 October, in a 2–2 league draw against Wellington Phoenix at Wellington Regional Stadium. On November 13, he received his first red card in the 30th minute during a 3–2 loss against Macarthur, resulting in a one-match suspension.

Despite this, Kaltak was lauded for his standout performances, particularly during the month of December as a key figure in the Mariners' defence; he played a crucial role in helping the team secure a clean sheet in a 3–0 victory against the Newcastle Jets in the F3 Derby and a 2–1 win in the previous match against Sydney FC. On 11 January 2023, Central Coast Mariners announced that Kaltak would remain with the club until the end of the 2024/2025 season after his side conceded just three goals in the previous five games.

On 4 February, in his second match against Sydney FC, he received a straight red card in the 25th minute for denying Max Burgess an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Although the club appealed the decision, Kaltak was still handed a one-week suspension, causing him to miss the subsequent match against Brisbane Roar. In the match against Wellington Phoenix after a week of completing his suspension, Kaltak was sent off again in the 59th minute for a challenge on Phoenix attacker David Ball. The minimum suspension of two matches was imposed on Kaltak, with his teammate Moresche also receiving a two-match ban for violent conduct in the 97th minute.

Kaltak remained a key player for the Mariners as his contributions were vital in the team's success, as they secured three consecutive wins against Adelaide United in the final league match (4–1) and both legs of the nA-League semi-final (4–1 on aggregate). Kaltak played a significant role in the Mariners' stunning 6–1 victory over Melbourne City in the Grand Final at CommBank Stadium, leading them to lift the A-League Men championship trophy. After the match, Kaltak was embraced and congratulated by Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, who flew in to witness him play. In Vanuatu, screens were set up at Freshwater Stadium in Port Vila, allowing locals to watch Kaltak become the first Vanuatu player to compete in an A-League Grand Final.

Kaltak won the 2023–24 A-League Men, finishing top of the table at the end of the regular season. Kaltak was also part of the Mariners' 2023–24 AFC Cup victory.

International career
Kaltak made his international debut for Vanuatu in 2011.

In March 2022, Kaltak went to Qatar for the World Cup qualifiers. 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.

Personal life
Kaltak moved to Port Vila to obtain his secondary education. Brian's cousins Tony and Jean also play for the national team. The pair were both named in the 2012 OFC Nations Cup squad.

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.

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. Kaltak, representing Vanuatu, starred alongside Thiago Silva (Brazil), Luka Modrić (Croatia), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Andre Blake (Jamaica) and Hassan Maatouk (Lebanon). It was released by Netflix and also shown on FIFA's own streaming platform, FIFA+.

International

 * Vanuatu score listed first, score column indicates score after each Kaltak goal.

Honours
Auckland City
 * New Zealand Football Championship: 2019–20

Central Coast Mariners
 * A-League Men Championship: 2022–23 2023–24
 * A-League Men Premiership: 2023-24
 * AFC Cup: 2023–24

Individual
 * PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2022–23, 2023–24

Orders
 * Order of Vanuatu, Second Class: 2023