Ferenc Puskás: Football (Soccer)
Ferenc Puskás (April 2, 1927 – November 17, 2006) was a Hungarian football legend that led his national team to unprecedented success during the early 50s. He first played for Kispest and Budapest Honved, becoming a top scorer for the Hungarian League and became the top goal scorer in Europe. Puskás also played for Spain’s Real Madrid club and became a manager later on. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary and scored 514 goals in 529 matches in 1952 that led his country to the finals of the 1954 World Cup. That same year, Ferenc Puskás was named the tournament’s best player. He was a hugely astute leader.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
Puskás won three European Cups (1959, 1960, 1966), 10 national championships (5 Hungarian and 5 Spanish Primera Division) and 8 top individual scoring honors.
During his time with Real Madrid, he won four Pichichis and scored seven goals during two European Champions Cup finals.
He was later recognized as the top scorer of the 20th century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.
Puskás became a FIFA/SOS Charity ambassador in 1998 and renamed the Nepstadion in Budapest to Puskás Ferenc Stadion in his honor.
UEFA Jubilee Awards declared him as the best Hungarian player of the last 50 years.
Why Was He So Good?
He was a striker whose short heavy built contradicted his exceptional performance and ball-control abilities, becoming the pride and joy of the most leading sides in the history of football. Puskás was not nicknamed as the “Magical Magyars” or “The Galloping Major” for nothing. He had such control of the ball – he could make long, accurate passes and could score goals – a lot of goals.
What You May Not Know
- When he retired, Puskás became a coach and guided the Panathinaikos to the European Cup finals. They lost 2—0 to AFC Ajax.
- In 2009, FIFA announced the FIFA Puskás Award; an award for the player who scored “the most beautiful goal” over the past year.
- Ferenc Puskás lived a normal life despite his huge footballer status – he lived in a modest flat, brought home footballs from training for the kids in the block to play with and was very generous.
Was he a legend?
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Related Pages
- About the FIFA Puskás Award — named after Ferenc Puskás, awarded for the best goal of the year.
- More football players
- About Football (Soccer)
- Athlete Database home
- Sport in Hungary
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