Ferenc Puskás
Born: April 1, 1927, Budapest.
Died: November 17, 2006, Budapest.
Original name: Ferenc Purczeld
Clubs: 1942–49 Kispest, 1949–57 Bp. Honvéd, 1958–67 Real Madrid.
Position: inside left
Hungary's and, according to many, the world's foremost football phenomenon, the preeminent star of the Golden Team. The only one among them to enjoy an unparalleled career abroad, he led Real Madrid to European Cup triumphs and, after Hungary, also donned the national shirt of Spain. He was also the only player among those who left the Golden Team whom politics truly forgave. Granted, it took 25 years to happen, but when he returned after a quarter of a century in 1981 ahead of the Hungary vs. England match, even the VIP grandstand gave him an ovation... A true native of Kispest, supported by his renowned coach father, he began playing football at Kispesti AC and stayed with its legal successor, Bp. Honvéd, until his departure abroad. By 1945, at just 18 years old, he had already debuted for the national team. Up until 1956, he wore the national colors 84 times, scoring 83 goals. (No player has ever scored more goals for the Hungarian national team). He captained the 1952 Olympic champion team, won five league titles with Honvéd, and was four-time league top scorer. It seems almost unbelievable that he scored 358 goals in 349 league matches for Kispest, and he was no less prolific as a Real Madrid player, tormenting Spanish goalkeepers with 154 goals in 179 matches. It would be difficult to list all the qualities that fueled this peerless career. His game was characterized by extraordinary explosiveness, flawless ball control, unpredictable dribbling, brilliantly inventive vision, centimeter-perfect passing, exceptional awareness, and—perhaps most importantly—a blistering, peerless shot. In 1956, he chose to remain abroad. And while he had struggled with chronic weight issues at home, abroad he managed to trim down, adapt to the Spanish tempo, completely reinvent himself past the age of thirty, and play with his old, at times even more mesmerizing, brilliance. Nothing speaks louder than the fact that in an increasingly professional era of football, he conquered the pitch for nearly ten more years, finishing his playing career close to the age of forty. He then became a coach, working all across the world from Greece to Saudi Arabia, and from Chile to Egypt. The most memorable milestone of this era was leading Panathinaikos to the European Cup final. Since 1981, he spent more and more time back home. In recent years, honors were bestowed upon him one after another. He received official recognition from the country's leadership as well as domestic and international football governing bodies. All this was in tribute to his skill, achievements, goals, and for enhancing Hungary's global renown, as he had indisputably become one of the most famous Hungarians of the second half of the century. In 1991, the Kispest municipality reinstated the title of Honorary Citizen to honor citizens who brought past and present fame, recognizing those who contributed the most to the district's social, political, welfare, sports, and cultural life. Ferenc Puskás was among the very first to receive this prestigious honor.
Major achievements:
Hungarian league champion (1949–50, 1950 Autumn, 1952, 1954, 1955), league silver medalist (1946–47, 1951, 1953), bronze medalist (1948–49). Hungarian top scorer (1947–48: 50 goals; 1949–50: 31 goals; 1950 Autumn: 25 goals; 1953: 27 goals). Between 1942 and 1956, he scored 358 goals in 349 Hungarian league appearances. For Bp. Honvéd, he scored 1 goal in 2 European Cup matches.
Spanish league champion (1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67), league runner-up (1958–59, 1959–60, 1965–66), Copa del Rey winner (1958, 1962), Spanish top scorer (Pichichi) (1959–60: 28 goals; 1960–61: 27 goals; 1962–63: 26 goals; 1963–64: 20 goals). In total, he scored 324 goals in 372 official appearances for Real Madrid.
European Cup winner (1958–59 – did not play in the final, 1959–60, 1965–66 – did not play in the final), European Cup finalist (1961–62, 1963–64), European Cup top scorer (1959–60: 12 goals; 1961–62: 7 goals – joint). For Real Madrid, he scored 34 goals in 39 European Cup matches. Intercontinental Cup winner (1960).
Olympic champion (1952), Central European International Cup winner (1953), World Cup runner-up (1954), 12th place at the World Cup with the Spanish national team (1962). 1946–56: 18 appearances for the Budapest representative XI with 15 goals; 1954–55: 5 appearances for other national selection sides with 11 goals; between August 20, 1945 and October 14, 1956, 85 caps and 84 goals for Hungary. Between November 12, 1961 and June 6, 1962, 4 caps for Spain. FIFA World XI (1963), UEFA European XI (1965). Ballon d'Or rankings: 2nd (1960), 4th (1956), 5th (1961), 7th (1959).
Teams as manager:
Alicante (Spain), San Francisco Gales (USA), Vancouver Royals (Canada), Panathinaikos (Greece), Colo-Colo (Chile), Saudi Arabia, FCL Murcia (Spain), AEK Athens (Greece), Al-Masry (Egypt), Sol de América and Cerro Porteño (Paraguay), Panhellenic Melbourne (Australia). 1992: MLSZ Youth Director, then International Director; between April and July 1993, head coach of the Hungarian national team. As a coach, he was a two-time Greek champion and European Cup finalist with Panathinaikos, Greek champion and cup finalist with AEK, and Australian champion and cup winner with Panhellenic.
In the all-time Hungarian league top scorers list, he ranks 3rd behind Szusza and Zsengellér; he leads the Hungarian national team all-time scoring charts, and is third in the European Cup all-time top scorer standings behind Di Stéfano and Eusébio.
