József Bozsik
József Bozsik, affectionately nicknamed "Cucu" by his grandmother, was born on November 28, 1925, in Kispest. He grew up playing football on the local vacant lots of Kispest.
His talent was soon noticed by one of KAC's directors, and at the age of 11, he was signed to the youth squad. He played his first senior league match in 1943 against Vasas. He was 22 years old when he made his debut for the national team. Between 1947 and 1962, he made 101 appearances for the national side, scoring 11 goals. He debuted on August 17, 1947, against Bulgaria and bid farewell to the national colors with a goal against Uruguay on April 18, 1962. He became an Olympic champion in Helsinki (1952). In 1954, he won a silver medal at the World Cup. He took part in both the historic 6–3 triumph in London and the 7–1 victory in Budapest against England.
His club loyalty was exemplary, as he never played for any club other than KAC and its legal successor, BHSE. He played 447 NB I matches in red-and-black and red-and-white shirts, scoring 33 goals. He took part in Honvéd's 1956–1957 winter tour, from which—unlike three other stars of the Golden Team—he returned home. Following a brief suspension, he was allowed to play again and was thus a member of the Hungarian national team that finished in 10th place at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. In 1959, he won the Mitropa Cup with Honvéd. Over his nearly two-decade-long top-flight career, he proved to be the most outstanding Hungarian half-back of all time. In his prime, he was widely regarded as the best attacking half-back in the world. Flawless technique, boundless creativity, tactical maturity, captivating ease, and playmaking ability—in short, true "football genius"—characterized his game. Although he was not fast, his brilliant positional sense, mobility, and dynamism ensured this shortcoming was never felt, either in defense or attack. His 40- to 50-meter passes were pinpoint accurate. He received numerous honors throughout his career. As a key pillar of the "Golden Team," he was even elected a Member of Parliament in the early 1950s. In 1962, he hung up his boots for good against FTC. He was crowned Hungarian champion five times. Following his retirement, he joined the board of the BHSE football department.
Between January 1966 and September 1967, he managed the team from the dugout on 47 occasions. Afterward, he returned to the board. In 1974, he was appointed head coach of the Hungarian national team, but unfortunately had to step down soon due to illness. After recovering, he worked as a technical supervisor.
He passed away in Budapest on May 31, 1978. His untimely death was caused by heart failure. In 1996, the primary school in Szőny was named after him, and the 19th district stadium of his beloved club also bears his name. In 2000, he was posthumously awarded honorary citizenship of Kispest.
