Lajos Kocsis
Lajos Kocsis, 18.06.1947 Szeged – 09.10.2000 Budapest
1959–61 Móravárosi Kinizsi
1961–64 Szegedi VSE
1965–66 Salgótarjáni Bányász
1967–77 Bp. Honvéd
1977–82 Gyulai SE
An exceptionally gifted technician, he was a player who constantly created prime opportunities for his teammates. An unpredictable dribbler, he could have achieved much more had he not squandered his supreme talent. He played for Móravárosi Kinizsi, Szegedi VSE, and Salgótarjáni Bányász before joining Honvéd. In 1967, József Bozsik brought him to Kispest. He made his league debut in Komló (Komló vs. Bp. Honvéd 2–0). He quickly became a crowd favourite, with thousands attending matches just to watch him play. His 40-metre passes were pin-point accurate, his feints unpredictable to opposing defenders, and his free kicks drove goalkeepers to despair. His most memorable free kick was scored against the goalkeeper of Scottish club Aberdeen. "Kicsi" curled the leather ball into the top corner with his right foot as usual, but the referee, who had still been setting up the wall, disallowed the goal. The crowd erupted in fury while the Scots applauded the referee. While everyone else was fuming, Lajos Kocsis calmly placed the ball down again and curled it right back into the top corner. The crowd went wild once more, this time in sheer jubilation, while the Scottish goalkeeper stood on the goal line with his arms spread wide.
It is rare among football fans, but from Újpest to Pestszentlőrinc, everyone loved Lajos Kocsis. His brilliant dribbling and laser-focused long balls were applauded by all.
He was often criticised for vanishing from the midfield for long stretches, but a single flash of brilliance from him was enough to decide the match.
He wore the national team shirt 33 times and scored 7 goals. He won a gold medal at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and a silver medal at Munich in 1972.
He was a brilliant rogue. On 10 December 1969, Honvéd played a cup second leg in Rome against Lazio. Rain poured throughout the match, and the teams played on a slick, muddy pitch. "Csikó" was dribbling near the touchline when two Italian defenders charged at him; Kocsis outfoxed the Italians with a drag-back feint, sending them sliding off the pitch from their own momentum. He then casually pulled his shirt out of his shorts, wiped his face, and only then passed the ball along. The Italians applauded the scene.
On 14 May 1972 in Bucharest, in the second leg of the European Championship quarter-final, he made fools of the Romanian defenders inside the six-yard box. After a low cross, he kept dribbling until three defenders were sitting on the turf before calmly slotting the ball into the net.
He scored 112 goals in 308 top-flight (NB I) matches. Lajos Tichy once said of him: "When Kicsi has the ball, all ten teammates must be on the move, because we never know who he will pass to. It might even be the goalkeeper."
He never managed to win a league championship with Honvéd, although he came close many times. In the National Championship, he collected three silver medals (1969, 1972, 1975) and one bronze (1970); in the Hungarian People's Republic Cup, three runner-up finishes (1968, 1969, 1973); and in the Mitropa Cup, one silver medal (1975). At the end of the 1970s, he was abandoned by the very club directors who had previously adulated him.
In 1977, he put on a magnificent performance in his final top-flight league appearance (Bp. Honvéd vs. Salgótarján 6–0), yet just a few weeks later he was deemed surplus to requirements at Kispest. He went on to play for five more years in the third tier in Gyula, bringing great joy to the local supporters. His playing career was brought to an end by the football pool betting scandal. He returned to Kispest several times as a "supporter", where he was always warmly welcomed. He passed away at a young age, at 53.
