As we reported earlier, to mark the 100th anniversary of József Bozsik's birth, our club wanted to pay a fitting tribute to the 101-cap Hungary international. We therefore organised a special series of tournaments through which young players could also become more closely acquainted with his legacy.
The series reached its final stop at the end of May: the final of the Bozsik 100 Memorial Tournament was held at our academy, where our U12 side coached by Szabolcs Földi finished third. 1908 SZAC Budapest took second place, while Monor SE lifted the winners' trophy. At the end of the matches, the cups and certificates were presented by Péter Bozsik, the legend's son.
“I will be honest, it was moving and uplifting at the same time. It made me proud that my father was considered worthy of having a memorial year dedicated to him, with numerous commemorative events taking place as part of it. Tournaments, the issue of a commemorative stamp, the unveiling of a statue – there were so many events that I remember with pride and emotion and that I look back on fondly. Perhaps he too looked down on all of this with good feelings from above” – he said, adding that it always brings him joy to see so many young players out on the pitch.
“When there are children everywhere, the ball is bouncing and the pitch is full of boys, it always gives you a completely different feeling from paying tribute in a suit. Of course, both are necessary. It is wonderful to see the children out on the pitch enjoying this fantastic game.”
Péter Bozsik also spoke about his memories of his father. He said the most important value he received from him was his example, both as a person and as a father.
“The value I received from him was leading by example, first and foremost as a person and as a father. To me, being a footballer came much further down the list, because I never actually saw him play, and at the time I could not really understand his qualities as a coach either, since I was young when he coached Honvéd. What I vaguely remember is his period as national-team coach, but unfortunately he was given only one match. The greatest gift from him was that every day I could see him as a father and as a person. I could walk with him, we went to the grocery shop, sat down in a restaurant, played football, practised shooting at targets – those were the greatest experiences for me. We will see how much of that I have managed to pass on.”
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