Ferenc Puskas

Early Life:

On April 1, 1927, Ferenc Puskas was born in Budapest, Hungary. He began playing football at a young age and came from a working-class family. His skill was quickly recognized, and by the time he was 12 years old, he was already participating in local club Kispest. At the age of 16, Puskas made his professional debut for Kispest in 1943. To get around the 12-year-old minimum age requirement, he initially played under the alias Miklós Kovács. The club changed its name to “Honved” the following year after the Ministry of Defense took control of it.

With the takeover, “Honved” became the army club of Hungary, and Puskas was promoted to major. The term “Galloping Major” came about as a result.. 

Playing Career:

In 1948, Puskas was Europe’s top scorer with 50 goals. He made ‘Honved’ the leading side with his outstanding performance. The communist government of Hungary attempted to use Puskas as a political pawn to gain legitimacy by attempting to capitalize on his notoriety. In 1949, Gustav Shebesh served as the national team’s head coach. He urged the players to play in a new way he called “socialist football,” in which each player put in a lot of effort for the benefit of the team. Hungary defeated Yugoslavia in the Olympic final by a score of 2-0 to win the title in Helsinki in 1952.

The following year at Wembley Stadium, Hungary under Puskas took on England in a friendly match. Hungary defeated England 6-3 thanks to a strong performance. After taking a 2-1 lead, due to remarkable goals by Hidegkuti, Puskas produced a moment of absolute magic by skilfully dodging a tackle from the English defender Billy Wright with a backheel and scoring a magnificent goal. Puskas increased the Hungarian advantage by 4-1 in less than 30 minutes. The score was 6-3, and England suffered its first Webley loss to a non-British team.  

The “magic magyars,” the national football team of Hungary, were at their best. Six months later, they defeated England 7-1 in a rematch, continuing a 27-match winning streak that had started in May 1950. 

In the 1954 World Cup, which was held in Switzerland, the Hungarian team was the favorite. Puskas scored two goals in their 9-0 victory over North Korea. In their subsequent match against West Germany, Puskas scored one goal but sustained an ankle injury as a result of a foul from German defender Werner Lee Brick. Hungary won the match against West Germany by a score of 8-3 and topped their group. 

Puskas was unable to participate further in the tournament due to his injury. In the quarterfinals, Hungary faced Brazil without Puskas. A 4-2 win sent Hungary to the semi-finals. Hungary went on to win the semi-finals 4-2 against Uruguay with the game going into extra time. 

Hungary and West Germany competed in the World Cup final in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Puskas did come back to play for his nation, but he was not at his peak physical condition. Puskas scored the game’s first goal in just six minutes despite being out of shape. A misunderstanding between the German goalkeeper and defender resulted in Czibor scoring Hungary’s second goal in the eighth minute.  Germany came back impressively. In the 10th minute, Max Morlock scored to cut West Germany’s deficit in half. By a score of 3-2, the Germans were in the lead thanks to two goals from Helmut Rahn. With 2 minutes remaining, Puskas scored an equalizer but, the goal was flagged offside. Hungary suffered its first loss in 31 games, and West Germany won the title for the first time. 

Following the Second World War, Hungary’s growing Soviet influence sparked the 1956 revolution, which caused thousands to flee to other countries, including Puskas and several of his Honved teammates. Initial reports claimed Puskas had passed away, but he was found alive in Austria before crossing the border into Italy. He eventually relocated to Madrid, Spain. Puskas, who was then 31 years old, there signed a deal to play for Real Madrid. 

With the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano by his side in Madrid, Puskas conquered Spain. During his eight seasons at Real Madrid, Puskas not only helped the club win five straight league championships but also four times finished the season as Spain’s top scorer. He made his debut by scoring a hat-trick.  

Puskas assisted Real Madrid in taking a 3-1 lead at the half of the 1960 European Cup final in Glasgow against Eintracht Frankfurt. Ferenc Puskas made the score 6-1 by scoring three goals in the final fifteen minutes of the second half. The score was 7-3, with Alfredo Di Stefano scoring a hat trick as well. He continues to be the only person in history to score four goals in a European Cup final. Over an eight-year period, he scored more than 200 goals for Real Madrid across all competitions. 

Puskas played in two more European Cup finals for Madrid, against Benfica in 1962 and Inter Milan in 1964, losing on both occasions. Puskas scored all of Real’s goals in their 5-3 loss to Benfica in 1962, but Eusebio scored twice to help Benfica win the match and keep the trophy. Puskas cemented his standing as a great player with a hat trick in another final.  He later became a citizen of Spain and played for Spain in the World Cup in Chile. Spain was unfortunately knocked out in the first round. 

In Hungary, Puskas’s accomplishments with Real Madrid were completely suppressed. During the period of communist isolation, his compatriots were never informed of his accomplishments. But times have changed, and today people look up to Puskas as a hero. Hungary is very aware of his legacy.  

In 2001, the national stadium, formerly known as Nepstadion, changed its name to Puskas Ferenc Stadion. He also has his name attached to the top football academy in the nation. 

Retirement:

After leaving the playing field in 1966, Puskas began a career as a manager, holding positions with teams in Australia, Paraguay, the United States, Spain, and the national team for a brief period in 1993. In 1981, Puskas made his way back to Hungary, where he was warmly received. He passed away in 2006 at the age of 79. He was mourned as a national hero.

Ferenc Puskas was a truly special footballer who spearheaded Hungarian football’s finest times and will always be remembered for his contribution to the beautiful game. He was a great player and a great person, and his legacy will continue to inspire future generations of footballers. Puskas will always be remembered as one of the greatest footballers of all time, and his name will forever be etched in the history books.