Ferenc Puskas
Posted by: Guido Fawkes on 17 November 2006
One of the greatest footballers in history has died. Ferenc Puskas scored 83 goals in 84 international appearences as part of the great Hungarian side of the 50s. He remains the only player to have scored four goals in a European Cup Final.
Pushkas plyed for Hungary when they beat England 6-3 and became the first foreign team to inflict defeat on England at Wembley. Tom Finney, said: "I came away wondering to myself what we had been doing all these years." He found out when he was selected for the return match in Budapest. Puskas's team inflicted a 7-1 drubbing on England.
Puskas was born in Budapest in 1927. He made his debut for Kispest at the age of 16. At 18 he was an international, appearing for Hungary against Austria in 1945. Hungary had been a significant soccer nation before the war, losing 4-2 to Italy in the 1938 World Cup Final. But when the Soviet Union formed, the authorities took over Kispest and the bacame Honved, the team of the Hungarian Army. Honved were the most successful club in Europe and provided most of the national team. Puskas scored 50 goals as he won the first of his four Hungarian Championships with Honved. Puskas was captain of Hungray when they Olympic Gold medal in 1952.
The Hungarian team had five stars. Grosics (goalkeeper), Bozsik (midfield) and forwards Kocsis, Hidegkuti and Puskas. They were different: inside forwards Kocsis and Puskas led the attack, centre-forward Hidegkuti dropped into midfield. When Hungray beat England the tactic confused us, Billy Wright couldn't cope. The third goal, scored by Puskas, had Eggland stunned, he changed direction by rolling the ball back with the sole of his feet, swivelled and hit the ball past Gill Merrick.
Hungray entered the '54, World Cup on a four year unbeaten run. They beat South Korea 9-0, and West Germany 8-3. Puskas was hacked down by German centre-half Liebrich and missed the quarter-final against the disgraceful Brazilians who tried to kick Hungray off the field. The Brazilians stormed into the Hungarian dressing room after the match on the pretext Puskas, a spectator on the touchline, had attacked Pinheiro. and threw bottles at the players, who hit the back with their football boots. Hungary won the match 4-2. Puskas's damaged ankle kept him from the semi-final against Uruguay, which Hungary won 4-2. Puskas said he was fit for the final, but he wasn't. Nonetheless, Pushkas scored the second goal as Hungary romped to a 2-0 lead after eight minutes. The Germans came back to lead: 3-2. Puskas equalised, but linesman Mervyn Griffiths flagged it offside.
At Honved, Puskas became even better known. In December 1954 they came to Molineux and lost 3-2 to Wolves. The failed Hungarian uprising of 1956, saw the break-up of the great Hungarian side. My father saw them play and says, without question, they were better than the great Brazil side of 1970. Puskas was with Honved in Bilbao and Puskas, Kocsis and Czibor, stayed. Pushkas's old manager Emil Oestreicher, was in charge of Real Madrid under president, Santiago Bernabeu. In 1958, 31-year-old Puskas joined them, receiving a £10,000 signing-on fee. Partnered by Di Stefano, he was four times the leading scorer in Spain. In the 1960 European Cup Final played before 135,000 at Hampden Park, Real beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3. Di Stefano scored a hat-trick, Puskas scored the other four.
Real Madrid lost to Benfica in 1962 by 5-3, Puskas, aged 35, scored all three. In 39 European matches, he scored 35 goals.
Of course, Ferenc Puskas is noted in two HMHB songs: implicitly in "I was a teenage armchair Honved fan" and explicitly in "1966 and all that".
Pushkas plyed for Hungary when they beat England 6-3 and became the first foreign team to inflict defeat on England at Wembley. Tom Finney, said: "I came away wondering to myself what we had been doing all these years." He found out when he was selected for the return match in Budapest. Puskas's team inflicted a 7-1 drubbing on England.
Puskas was born in Budapest in 1927. He made his debut for Kispest at the age of 16. At 18 he was an international, appearing for Hungary against Austria in 1945. Hungary had been a significant soccer nation before the war, losing 4-2 to Italy in the 1938 World Cup Final. But when the Soviet Union formed, the authorities took over Kispest and the bacame Honved, the team of the Hungarian Army. Honved were the most successful club in Europe and provided most of the national team. Puskas scored 50 goals as he won the first of his four Hungarian Championships with Honved. Puskas was captain of Hungray when they Olympic Gold medal in 1952.
The Hungarian team had five stars. Grosics (goalkeeper), Bozsik (midfield) and forwards Kocsis, Hidegkuti and Puskas. They were different: inside forwards Kocsis and Puskas led the attack, centre-forward Hidegkuti dropped into midfield. When Hungray beat England the tactic confused us, Billy Wright couldn't cope. The third goal, scored by Puskas, had Eggland stunned, he changed direction by rolling the ball back with the sole of his feet, swivelled and hit the ball past Gill Merrick.
Hungray entered the '54, World Cup on a four year unbeaten run. They beat South Korea 9-0, and West Germany 8-3. Puskas was hacked down by German centre-half Liebrich and missed the quarter-final against the disgraceful Brazilians who tried to kick Hungray off the field. The Brazilians stormed into the Hungarian dressing room after the match on the pretext Puskas, a spectator on the touchline, had attacked Pinheiro. and threw bottles at the players, who hit the back with their football boots. Hungary won the match 4-2. Puskas's damaged ankle kept him from the semi-final against Uruguay, which Hungary won 4-2. Puskas said he was fit for the final, but he wasn't. Nonetheless, Pushkas scored the second goal as Hungary romped to a 2-0 lead after eight minutes. The Germans came back to lead: 3-2. Puskas equalised, but linesman Mervyn Griffiths flagged it offside.
At Honved, Puskas became even better known. In December 1954 they came to Molineux and lost 3-2 to Wolves. The failed Hungarian uprising of 1956, saw the break-up of the great Hungarian side. My father saw them play and says, without question, they were better than the great Brazil side of 1970. Puskas was with Honved in Bilbao and Puskas, Kocsis and Czibor, stayed. Pushkas's old manager Emil Oestreicher, was in charge of Real Madrid under president, Santiago Bernabeu. In 1958, 31-year-old Puskas joined them, receiving a £10,000 signing-on fee. Partnered by Di Stefano, he was four times the leading scorer in Spain. In the 1960 European Cup Final played before 135,000 at Hampden Park, Real beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3. Di Stefano scored a hat-trick, Puskas scored the other four.
Real Madrid lost to Benfica in 1962 by 5-3, Puskas, aged 35, scored all three. In 39 European matches, he scored 35 goals.
Of course, Ferenc Puskas is noted in two HMHB songs: implicitly in "I was a teenage armchair Honved fan" and explicitly in "1966 and all that".