Ferenc Puskás
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ferenc Puskás | ||
Personal information | ||
---|---|---|
Full name | Ferenc Puskás Biro | |
Date of birth | April 2, 1927 | |
Place of birth | Budapest, Hungary | |
Date of death | November 17, 2006 (aged 79) | |
Nickname | Puskás Öcsi (Brother Puskás) El Comandante Galopante (The Galloping Major) Cañoncito Pum (The Booming Cannon) Pancho Puskas |
|
Playing position | Forward | |
Senior clubs1 | ||
Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
1943-56 1957 1958-67 |
Kispest AC/Honvéd RCD Español Real Madrid |
349 (357) X (X) 179 (155) |
National team | ||
1949-56 1961-62 |
Hungary Spain |
85 (84)[1] 4 (0) |
Teams managed | ||
1967 1967-68 1968 1968-69 1970-74 1975 1975-76 1976-77 1978-79 1979-82 1985-86 1986-89 1989-92 1993-93 |
Hércules CF San Francisco Golden Gate Gales Vancouver Royals Deportivo Alavés Panathinaikos FC Real Murcia Colo-Colo Saudi Arabia AEK Athens FC Al-Masry Club Sol de América Cerro Porteño South Melbourne Hellas Hungary |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
Ferenc Puskás (April 2, 1927 – November 17, 2006) — also referred to as Puskás Ferenc (using the Hungarian convention of family name first) or, in Spanish sources, Ferenc Puskas Biro — was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 internationals for Hungary,[1] and 511 goals in 533 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues.
Puskás played for Honvéd and Hungary before joining Real Madrid and going on to play for Spain. During the 1950s he was both a prominent member and captain of the legendary Hungarian national team known as the Mighty Magyars. Other members of the team included Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti. In 1958, two years after the Hungarian Revolution, he emigrated to Spain where he played in the legendary Real Madrid team that also included Alfredo Di Stéfano, Francisco Gento, Raymond Kopa, Héctor Rial and José Santamaria.
Puskás, with a deadly accurate left-foot, was a prolific goalscorer throughout his career. He was top scorer in the Hungarian League on four occasions, and in 1948 he was the top goal scorer in any European league. While playing with Real Madrid, he won four Pichichis and scored seven goals in two European Cup finals. In 1995 he was recognized as the top scorer of the 20th century by the IFFHS.[2][3][4]
After retiring as a player he became a coach. The highlight of his coaching career came in 1971 when he guided Panathinaikos FC to the European Cup final, where they lost 2-0 to Ajax. Despite his defection in 1956, Puskás remained an admired hero in Hungary. In 1993, the Hungarian government granted him a full pardon, allowing to return and take temporary charge of the national team.[5] In 1998 he became one of the first ever FIFA/SOS Charity ambassadors.[6] In 2002 the Népstadion in Budapest was renamed the Stadion Puskás Ferenc in his honour. He was also declared the best Hungarian player of the last 50 years by the Hungarian Football Federation in the UEFA Jubilee Awards in November 2003.[7]
Puskás was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2000.[8] He was admitted to a Budapest hospital in September 2006[9] and died on November 17 2006[8] of pneumonia. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Erzsébet, [10] and their daughter, Anikó. [11]. In a state funeral, his coffin was moved from Stadium Puskás Ferenc to Heroes' Square for a military salute. He was laid to rest under the dome of the St Stephen's Basilica in Budapest on December 9 2006.
Contents |
[edit] Career in Hungary
[edit] Early Years
Puskás was born Ferenc Purczeld in Budapest and brought up in Kispest, then a village near the city. Today Kispest is a Budapest district. He was ten years old when his father, Ferenc Sr., changed the family name to Puskás.[12]. Among his early footballing heroes were Ted Drake, Charlie Buchan and Ricardo Zamora. He began his career as a junior with Kispest, where his father, who had previously played for the club, was a coach. He initially used the pseudonym Kovács Miklós to help circumvent the minimum age rules[13] before officially signing at the age of twelve. Among his early teammates was his childhood friend and future Mighty Magyar teammate József Bozsik. He made his first senior appearance for Kispest in November 1943, in a match against Nagyvárad.[14]
In 1949, Kispest was taken over by the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, becoming the Hungarian Army team and changing its name to Honvéd. As a result football players were given military ranks. Puskás eventually became a major, which led to the nickname "The Galloping Major".[12] As the army club, Honvéd used conscription to acquire the best Hungarian players, leading to the recruitment of Zoltán Czibor and Sándor Kocsis.[15] During his career at Honvéd, Puskás helped the club win five Hungarian League titles. He also finished as top goal scorer in the league in 1947-48, 1949-50, 1950 and 1953, scoring 50, 31, 25 and 27 goals respectively. In 1948 he was the top goal scorer in any European league.
[edit] The Mighty Hungarians
Puskás made his debut for Hungary team on August 20, 1945 and scored in a 5-2 win over Austria.[16] He went onto play 85 games and scored 84 times for Hungary. His international goal record included two hat tricks against Austria, one against Luxembourg and 4 goals in a 12-0 win over Albania.[17] Together with Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he formed the nucleus of the legendary team that went unbeaten for a standing world record 32 consecutive games.[18]
During this run they became Olympic Champions in 1952, beating Yugoslavia 2-0 in the final in Helsinki. Puskás scored four times at the Olympic tournament[17] including the opening goal in the final. They also twice gave England a footballing lesson. In 1953 they stunned England with a 6-3 win at Wembley Stadium, becoming the first continental European team to defeat the English national team on home soil.[16] At their next meeting in 1954 the Magyars gave England a 7-1 hammering in Budapest. Puskás scored two goals in each game against England. In 1953 they also became Central European Champions. Hungary won the championship after finishing top of the table with 11 points. Puskás finished the tournament as top scorer with 10 goals and scored twice as Hungary claimed the trophy with a 3-0 win over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in 1953.
Puskás scored three goals in the two first-round matches Hungary played at the 1954 World Cup. They defeated South Korea 9-0 and then West Germany 8-3. In the latter game he suffered an ankle injury after a tackle by Werner Liebrich and did not return until the final. Despite not playing, Puskás became embroiled in controversy during the infamous quarter-final encounter with Brazil, dubbed the Battle of Berne. After the game finished, Puskás, a spectator, allegedly struck Pinheiro, a Brazilian player, with a bottle, causing a three-inch cut. Other reports blame another spectator and not Puskás.
Puskás played the entire 1954 World Cup final against West Germany, although he was not fully fit. Despite this, he scored his fourth goal of the tournament to put Hungary ahead after only 6 minutes, and with Czibor adding another goal two minutes later, it seemed destined that the pre-tournament favourites would take the title. However, the West Germans pulled back two goals before half time and the tide began to turn. The second half saw telling misses from the Hungarian team and then with six minutes left the West Germans scored the winner. Two minutes from the end of the match Puskás scored an equalizer but, in a controversial call, the goal was disallowed for offside. Hungary lost 3-2, its record unbeaten run ended. [2]
[edit] Honvéd World Tour
In 1956 Honvéd entered the European Cup and were drawn against Atlético Bilbao in the first round. Honvéd lost the away leg 2-3, but before the home leg could be played, the Hungarian Revolution erupted in Budapest. The players decided against going back to Hungary and arranged for the return with Atlético to be played at Heysel Stadium in Brussels.[18] Puskás scored in the subsequent 3-3 draw but Honvéd were eliminated 6-5 on aggregate, and the Hungarian players were left in limbo. They summoned their families from Budapest, and despite opposition from FIFA and the Hungarian football authorities, they organised a fundraising tour of Italy, Portugal, Spain and Brazil. After returning to Europe, the players parted ways. Some, including Bozsik, returned to Hungary while others, including Czibor, Kocsis and Puskás, found new clubs in Western Europe. [3]
[edit] Spanish Career
[edit] Real Madrid
After refusing to return to Hungary, Puskás initially played a few unofficial games for RCD Español. At the same time both AC Milan and Juventus attempted to sign him, but then he received a two-year ban from UEFA which prevented him from playing in Europe. He moved to Austria and then Italy.[18] After his ban Puskás tried to play in Italy but was not able to find a top-flight club willing to sign him, as Italian managers were concerned about his age and weight.[15] However in 1958 he surprisingly joined Real Madrid and at the age of 31 embarked on the second phase of his remarkable career.
During his first La Liga season, 1958-59, Puskás scored four hat-tricks including one in his second game against Sporting de Gijón on September 21, 1958. In January 1959 Puskás and Alfredo Di Stéfano ran riot against UD Las Palmas, both of them scoring hat-tricks in a 10-1 win. During the 1960-61 season, he scored 4 times in a game against Elche CF and the following season he scored 5 goals against the same team. In 1963 he scored two hat-tricks against FC Barcelona, one at the Bernabéu and one at the Camp Nou. During eight seasons with Real, Puskás played 180 La Liga games, scoring 156 goals. He scored 20 or more goals in each of his first six seasons in the Spanish league, and won the Pichichi four times: in 1960, 1961, 1963 and 1964, scoring 26, 27, 26 and 20 goals respectively. He helped Real win La Liga five times in a row between 1961 and 1965 and the Copa del Generalísimo in 1962. He scored both goals in the 2-1 victory over Sevilla CF in the Copa final.
Puskás also played a further 39 games for Real in the European Cup, scoring 35 goals. He helped Real reach the final of the 1959 European Cup, scoring in the first leg and in the decisive replay of the semi-final against Atlético Madrid, but missed the final due to injury. However, the following season he would make up for it. He began Real's 1960 European Cup campaign with a hat-trick against Jeunesse Esch and in semi-final against CF Barcelona, he once again guided Real into the final with three goals over two legs. In the final itself, regarded by some as one the greatest finals ever, Puskás and Di Stéfano once again ran riot. Real beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 with Puskás scoring four goals and Di Stéfano scoring three. In subsequent European campaigns he would score a further three hat-tricks including one in the 1962 final against Benfica which Real lost 5-3. In 1965 he scored five goals over two games against Feyenoord as he helped a new generation of Real Madrid players win the 1966 European Cup.
[edit] Spanish International
In 1962, Puskás took Spanish nationality,[19] and subsequently played four times for Spain. Three of these games were at the 1962 World Cup. For once his goalscoring form deserted him and he failed to score any goals for Spain.
[edit] Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Puskás became a coach and subsequently managed teams in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Legend has it that during a spell coaching the Vancouver Royals he demoralised their goalkeeper with the power of his shooting. The highlight of his coaching career came in 1971 when he guided Panathinaikos FC to the European Cup final, the only time a Greek club has reached a European final to date. After beating Everton in the quarter finals on away goals, Panathinaikos then pulled off the shock of the competition with a dramatic comeback in their semi-final against Red Star Belgrade. 4-1 down after the away first-leg, they won the return home second-leg 3-0 to qualify for the final on away goals. The final saw Puskás return to Wembley Stadium. Panathinaikos FC although had some memorable chances to score, went unlucky and lost 2-0 by Johan Cruyff's Ajax. [4]. During his five-year tenure at Panathinaikos, Puskás helped the team secure two Greek Championships and his success with the team made him a cult figure among Panathinaikos fans. With the notable exception of his spell at Panathinaikos, Puskás failed to transfer his success as a player to his coaching career. Despite his wide travels, his only other success came with South Melbourne Hellas, with whom he won the National Soccer League title in 1991.
[edit] Honours
Olympic medal record | |||
Competitor for ![]() |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Men's football | |||
Gold | 1952 Helsinki | Team Competition |
Player
Hungary
- Olympic Champions: 1
- 1952
- Central European Champions: 1
- 1953
- World Cup
- Runner-up: 1954
Honvéd
- Hungarian Champions: 5
- 1949-50, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955
Real Madrid
- Spanish Champions: 5
- 1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65
- Pichichi Trophy Winner: 4
- 1959-60, 1960-61, 1962-63, 1963-64
- Intercontinental Cup: 1
- 1960
- Copa del Generalísimo: 1
- 1961/62
Manager
Panathinaikos
- Greek Champions: 2
- 1970-71, 1971-72
- European Cup: 1
- Runner-up: 1971
South Melbourne Hellas
- Australian Champions: 1
- 1990-91
[edit] International goals
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b Note that Puskas' Hungary career is often said to be 83 goals in 84 games. The extra game and goal here is from a match vs Lebanon that was played in 1956, however it was only recognised as an official game by the Hungarian FA in May 2002 [1]
- ^ FIFA President: FIFA to help the Galloping Major. FIFA (2005-10-12). Retrieved on 2006-11-17.
- ^ Coronel Puskas, el zurdo de oro (Spanish). AS (2006-11-17). Retrieved on 2006-11-17.
- ^ Mackay, Duncan (2005-10-13). Lineker tees up another nice little earner. Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on 2006-11-17. Scroll down to subhead "Puskas memories for sale".
- ^ Obituary:Ferenc Puskas. The Scotsman (2003-11-20).
- ^ SOS Children mourns Ferenc Puskas. http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk. SOS Children's Villages (2005-11-17). Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
- ^ Golden Players take centre stage. UEFA (2003-11-29).
- ^ a b Hungary legend Puskas dies at 79. BBC (2006-11-17).
- ^ Puskas 'taken to intensive care'. BBC (2006-09-13).
- ^ Ferenc Puskas. Telegraph.co.uk (2003-11-18).
- ^ Ferenc Puskas, 79; Hungarian was one of soccer's all-time greats. Los Angeles Times (2003-11-18).
- ^ a b Soccer Great Puskas dead at 79. TSN. Retrieved on December 10, 2006.
- ^ Puskás, Hungary's greatest. uefa.com. Retrieved on November 27, 2006.
- ^ Obituary: Ferenc Puskas. The Guardian. Retrieved on November 27, 2006.
- ^ a b Hall of Fame, Ferenc Puskas. IFHOF. Retrieved on December 10, 2006.
- ^ a b Ferenc Puskas. The Times. Retrieved on December 10, 2006.
- ^ a b Ferenc Puskás - Goals in International Matches. RSSSF. Retrieved on December 10, 2006.
- ^ a b c Galloping Major gave us finest hour at Hampden. The Scotsman. Retrieved on December 10, 2006.
- ^ Ferenc Puskas dies aged 79. The Guardian. Retrieved on November 27, 2006.
[edit] Sources
- Behind The Curtain - Travels in Eastern European Football: Jonathan Wilson (2006) [5]
- The World Cup - The Complete History: Terry Crouch (2002) [6]
- 50 Years of the European Cup and Champions League: Keir Radnedge (2005) [7]
- Obituary in The Guardian by Brian Glanville, November 18 2006
[edit] External links
- FIFA obituary
- Spain stats
- European Cup stats
- Pictures, Stats and Bio (note: this entire site is in Dutch)
- UEFA.com - Hungary's Golden Player
- Real Madrid remembers Puskas - video
- La Liga statistics
- The Magical Magyar - the Sports Factor on ABC Radio National explores the life and sporting times of the late virtuoso Hungarian footballer (audio download and transcripts)
Gyula Grosics • Jenő Buzánszky • Gyula Lóránt • Mihály Lantos • József Bozsik • József Zakariás • László Budai • Sándor Kocsis • Nándor Hidegkuti • Ferenc Puskás • Zoltán Czibor • Coach: Gusztáv Sebes
![]() |
Spain squad - 1962 FIFA World Cup | ![]() |
---|---|---|
1 Araquistáin | 2 Sadurní | 3 Carmelo | 4 Collar | 5 del Sol | 6 Di Stéfano | 7 Echeberría | 8 Garay | 9 Gento | 10 Gracia | 11 Rivilla | 12 Peiró | 13 Pachín | 14 Puskás | 15 Eulogio | 16 Reija | 17 Rodri | 18 Adelardo | 19 Santamaría | 20 Segarra | 21 Suárez | 22 Vergés | Coach: Herrera |
Categories: Golden Team | 1927 births | 2006 deaths | Ferenc Puskás | Hungarian footballers | Spanish footballers | Hungarian-Spaniards | Spain international footballers | Hungarian football managers | Hungary national football team managers | Footballers at the 1952 Summer Olympics | Olympic footballers of Hungary | Olympic gold medalists for Hungary | La Liga footballers | Real Madrid footballers | RCD Espanyol footballers | Budapest Honvéd FC footballers | La Liga managers | Deportivo Alavés managers | Real Murcia managers | Panathinaikos football managers | AEK Athens FC managers | FIFA World Cup 1954 players | FIFA World Cup 1962 players | Left-footed football (soccer) players | FIFA 100 | People from Budapest | Defectors | Refugees