FERENC PUSKAS: FROM A RISKY BUSINESS TO A MADRID LEGEND.
The communist regime of Hungary was using football as their major political tool of spreading the principles of communism. Although everything wasn’t going on well in the country, as far as the national team which was led by Ferenc Puskas was winning, the system was working to perfection and nobody could question the regime. Going into the 1954 world cup, the Aranycsapat which means (the golden team) were unbeaten for about 4 years.
Hungary was counted among the favourites to win the tournament and they made their intentions clear from the word go. It was all going on well until they met West Germany in the final. That day was the day the communist bubble burst. West Germany pulled off an astonishing comeback against the Hungarians to win the tournament. The people took to the streets to vent their displeasure. The Hungarian revolution had gained grounds. Puskas returned to his club, Budapest Honved, after the world cup to continue his domestic career.
In 1956, Honved travelled to Spain to honour the first leg of a European cup game against Athletico Bilbao. Honved lost losing 3-2 in Spain. The return leg was supposed to be held in Budapest but then, news reached the team that the Revolution was in full swing. The game had to be relocated to Belgium. The Hungarian FA ordered the team not to go ahead with the game and must return to Hungary. Puskas who was captain and a staunch supporter of the Revolution defied the order and led the team to honour the return leg of the game in Heysel. The return leg ended in a 3-3 draw, a result which meant Honved were out based on the aggregate rules (6-5). The players once again defied the Hungarian football federation and FIFA to organise fundraising games in Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Brazil. The players finally parted ways on their return to Europe. Some, including his childhood friend of Puskas, Jozsef Bozsik, deciding to return home while the rest, including Czibor, Kocsis and Puskas, decided to stay in Western Europe and make new beginnings.
For two years, 1956-1958, Puskas was serving a football ban imposed on him by FIFA for defecting. In 1958, Puskas, now 31 years, went to Italy to find a club after the ban had prevented him from Joining AC Milan and Juventus earlier. Most Italian managers weren’t ready to gamble on him because they believed the best days of his career were behind him. Manchester United even tried to sign him whilst the club was trying to rebuild after the Munich Air Disaster but then due to the FA’s foreign rules and Puskas inability to speak the English language, the deal couldn’t go through. After moving around for a while, Puskas had become overweight. No club was willing to bet on him. Little did Puskas know that there was light at the end of the tunnel for him. Santiago Bernabeu decided to take the risk against the advice of his board and went ahead to bring the Hungarian forward to Madrid. His time in Hungary made him a national hero but this dramatic turn of events was the beginning of his legendary status as a player. He arrived at Madrid weighing an extra 18 kilos much to the disappointment of the Madrid coach Luis Carniglia. Di Stefano even called him “Big Belly, little Cannon” when he set eyes on him but then Puskas spent the whole summer trying to get into shape. Although he wasn’t the fittest player you would see around, Puskas made up for it with his high footballing smartness and his ferocious left foot.
Puskas didn’t waste time getting into the business at the Bernabeu as he recorded 20 goals in his first season including a hat-trick in his second official game against Sporting Gijon. Although Madrid fell short of the La Liga title, Puskas was already repaying the faith Santiago Bernabeu had in him. In his second season, he went ahead and claimed the Pichichi with 26 goals although Madrid had once again failed to lift the title. By now Puskas was proving everyone who had doubted him wrong and Bernabeu gradually was being justified for his decision to sign the Hungarian against the advice of the Madrid board. In the 1960 European Cup, he was instrumental in the journey to the finals and he went one better by starring in the demolishing of Eintracht Frankfurt. Puskas recorded 4 goals in the game – the most any player has scored in the finals of the competition – in a game that ended 7-3 in favour of Madrid. Present in the stadium that night was a young Alex Ferguson who was amazed by the pizzazz and guile of Puskas that he is quoted as saying “He [Puskas], without a question, is one of the greatest players of all time.” Puskas at the end of the game gave the match ball to Stein, who scored two of the goals for Frankfurt as a sign of respect. He continued his impressive display in the league and in his third season, he finally was able to lift the La Liga title and he did so by defending his Pichichi trophy. He proved decisive in Madrid European campaign once again in 1962 and finished the competition in grand style by scoring a hat-trick against defending champions.
Benfica, the game ended 5-3. Puskas once again showed class by gifting then a young Eusebio his shirt at the end of the game. As at this time, he had established himself as a great player and had himself the nickname “Pancho”. Puskas won two more Pichichis in 1963 and 1964 scoring 26 and 20 goals respectively and was integral in Madrid’s 5 consecutive La Liga title hauls. This feat is kind of impressive given his advanced age and his presence in a star-studded Madrid with Alfredo Di Stefano, Gento, Kopa, Santamaria, Rial and Dominguez. As time went on, Puskas was getting slow with age but that didn’t stop him registering impressive figures in the later years of his Madrid career. He survived clear-outs by spending most of his time on the bench. After the 1966/67 season, Puskas decided to call quit on an illustrious career at the age of 39. Some of his memorable exploits as Madrid player involved scoring 9 goals against Elche in two seasons, scored about 7 hat-tricks which involved two against Barcelona at the Bernabeu and the Nou Camp. At the end of his career, Puskas had won 10 trophies in 8 years in Madrid and had scored 242 goals in 262 games. His title hauls comprised of 5 La Liga titles, 3 European Cups, 1 Coppa Di Generalissimo, a game in which he decided just like most his finals for Madrid against Sevilla by scoring both Madrid goals in the 2-1 over Sevilla and 1 Intercontinental Cup. He is also remembered fondly by Inter legend Sandro Mazzola, son of the legendary Valentino Mazzola when Puskas gifted him his shirt at the end of a European Cup game against Inter. Puskas praised Mazzola for continuing the legacy of his father, Valentino Mazzola, whom Puskas had played against before when Valentino Mazzola was alive.
Puskas after convincing the Madrid fans that he was still on top of his game, was convinced to naturalise for Spain in 1962. He got his Spanish citizenship in time for him to be named on the team sheet to represent La Roja in the 1962 World Cup. Puskas on his return to the prestigious competition failed to replicate his goal-scoring exploits and didn’t score a single goal for the Spanish National team. In total, he represented Spain 4 times.
Puskas, although had an impressive career at the beginning of his career in Hungary, was at a point in time he was the highest-scoring forward in the whole of Europe with 50 goals at the end of the 1948/49 season, an impressive showing in the 1954 World Cup, an impressive 84 goals out of 85 games in the shirts of the Mighty Magyars, he cemented his place as a legend of the game in the later years of his career at the age of 31 where he was able to make an impressive mark in a Madrid team with so much quality and talent in the formative years of Real Madrid’s dominance in the European Cup competition. His exploits help set the current football landscape where Madrid is the premier club on the planet. His gentlemanliness off the field and his on the field exploits makes people remember him fondly.
Puskas died on 17th November 2006 and FIFA honoured him by naming an award after him, The Puskas Award, which is given to the scorer of the most aesthetically pleasing goal at the end of the football calendar.
CC: @abdullah_salif and @BonneyMcdona_1
The communist regime of Hungary was using football as their major political tool of spreading the principles of communism. Although everything wasn’t going on well in the country, as far as the national team which was led by Ferenc Puskas was winning, the system was working to perfection and nobody could question the regime. Going into the 1954 world cup, the Aranycsapat which means (the golden team) were unbeaten for about 4 years.
Hungary was counted among the favourites to win the tournament and they made their intentions clear from the word go. It was all going on well until they met West Germany in the final. That day was the day the communist bubble burst. West Germany pulled off an astonishing comeback against the Hungarians to win the tournament. The people took to the streets to vent their displeasure. The Hungarian revolution had gained grounds. Puskas returned to his club, Budapest Honved, after the world cup to continue his domestic career.
In 1956, Honved travelled to Spain to honour the first leg of a European cup game against Athletico Bilbao. Honved lost losing 3-2 in Spain. The return leg was supposed to be held in Budapest but then, news reached the team that the Revolution was in full swing. The game had to be relocated to Belgium. The Hungarian FA ordered the team not to go ahead with the game and must return to Hungary. Puskas who was captain and a staunch supporter of the Revolution defied the order and led the team to honour the return leg of the game in Heysel. The return leg ended in a 3-3 draw, a result which meant Honved were out based on the aggregate rules (6-5). The players once again defied the Hungarian football federation and FIFA to organise fundraising games in Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Brazil. The players finally parted ways on their return to Europe. Some, including his childhood friend of Puskas, Jozsef Bozsik, deciding to return home while the rest, including Czibor, Kocsis and Puskas, decided to stay in Western Europe and make new beginnings.
For two years, 1956-1958, Puskas was serving a football ban imposed on him by FIFA for defecting. In 1958, Puskas, now 31 years, went to Italy to find a club after the ban had prevented him from Joining AC Milan and Juventus earlier. Most Italian managers weren’t ready to gamble on him because they believed the best days of his career were behind him. Manchester United even tried to sign him whilst the club was trying to rebuild after the Munich Air Disaster but then due to the FA’s foreign rules and Puskas inability to speak the English language, the deal couldn’t go through. After moving around for a while, Puskas had become overweight. No club was willing to bet on him. Little did Puskas know that there was light at the end of the tunnel for him. Santiago Bernabeu decided to take the risk against the advice of his board and went ahead to bring the Hungarian forward to Madrid. His time in Hungary made him a national hero but this dramatic turn of events was the beginning of his legendary status as a player. He arrived at Madrid weighing an extra 18 kilos much to the disappointment of the Madrid coach Luis Carniglia. Di Stefano even called him “Big Belly, little Cannon” when he set eyes on him but then Puskas spent the whole summer trying to get into shape. Although he wasn’t the fittest player you would see around, Puskas made up for it with his high footballing smartness and his ferocious left foot.
Puskas didn’t waste time getting into the business at the Bernabeu as he recorded 20 goals in his first season including a hat-trick in his second official game against Sporting Gijon. Although Madrid fell short of the La Liga title, Puskas was already repaying the faith Santiago Bernabeu had in him. In his second season, he went ahead and claimed the Pichichi with 26 goals although Madrid had once again failed to lift the title. By now Puskas was proving everyone who had doubted him wrong and Bernabeu gradually was being justified for his decision to sign the Hungarian against the advice of the Madrid board. In the 1960 European Cup, he was instrumental in the journey to the finals and he went one better by starring in the demolishing of Eintracht Frankfurt. Puskas recorded 4 goals in the game – the most any player has scored in the finals of the competition – in a game that ended 7-3 in favour of Madrid. Present in the stadium that night was a young Alex Ferguson who was amazed by the pizzazz and guile of Puskas that he is quoted as saying “He [Puskas], without a question, is one of the greatest players of all time.” Puskas at the end of the game gave the match ball to Stein, who scored two of the goals for Frankfurt as a sign of respect. He continued his impressive display in the league and in his third season, he finally was able to lift the La Liga title and he did so by defending his Pichichi trophy. He proved decisive in Madrid European campaign once again in 1962 and finished the competition in grand style by scoring a hat-trick against defending champions.
Benfica, the game ended 5-3. Puskas once again showed class by gifting then a young Eusebio his shirt at the end of the game. As at this time, he had established himself as a great player and had himself the nickname “Pancho”. Puskas won two more Pichichis in 1963 and 1964 scoring 26 and 20 goals respectively and was integral in Madrid’s 5 consecutive La Liga title hauls. This feat is kind of impressive given his advanced age and his presence in a star-studded Madrid with Alfredo Di Stefano, Gento, Kopa, Santamaria, Rial and Dominguez. As time went on, Puskas was getting slow with age but that didn’t stop him registering impressive figures in the later years of his Madrid career. He survived clear-outs by spending most of his time on the bench. After the 1966/67 season, Puskas decided to call quit on an illustrious career at the age of 39. Some of his memorable exploits as Madrid player involved scoring 9 goals against Elche in two seasons, scored about 7 hat-tricks which involved two against Barcelona at the Bernabeu and the Nou Camp. At the end of his career, Puskas had won 10 trophies in 8 years in Madrid and had scored 242 goals in 262 games. His title hauls comprised of 5 La Liga titles, 3 European Cups, 1 Coppa Di Generalissimo, a game in which he decided just like most his finals for Madrid against Sevilla by scoring both Madrid goals in the 2-1 over Sevilla and 1 Intercontinental Cup. He is also remembered fondly by Inter legend Sandro Mazzola, son of the legendary Valentino Mazzola when Puskas gifted him his shirt at the end of a European Cup game against Inter. Puskas praised Mazzola for continuing the legacy of his father, Valentino Mazzola, whom Puskas had played against before when Valentino Mazzola was alive.
Puskas after convincing the Madrid fans that he was still on top of his game, was convinced to naturalise for Spain in 1962. He got his Spanish citizenship in time for him to be named on the team sheet to represent La Roja in the 1962 World Cup. Puskas on his return to the prestigious competition failed to replicate his goal-scoring exploits and didn’t score a single goal for the Spanish National team. In total, he represented Spain 4 times.
Puskas, although had an impressive career at the beginning of his career in Hungary, was at a point in time he was the highest-scoring forward in the whole of Europe with 50 goals at the end of the 1948/49 season, an impressive showing in the 1954 World Cup, an impressive 84 goals out of 85 games in the shirts of the Mighty Magyars, he cemented his place as a legend of the game in the later years of his career at the age of 31 where he was able to make an impressive mark in a Madrid team with so much quality and talent in the formative years of Real Madrid’s dominance in the European Cup competition. His exploits help set the current football landscape where Madrid is the premier club on the planet. His gentlemanliness off the field and his on the field exploits makes people remember him fondly.
Puskas died on 17th November 2006 and FIFA honoured him by naming an award after him, The Puskas Award, which is given to the scorer of the most aesthetically pleasing goal at the end of the football calendar.
CC: @abdullah_salif and @BonneyMcdona_1
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