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The Golden Team (Hungarian: Aranycsapat; also known as the Magical Magyars, the Marvellous Magyars, the Magnificent Magyars, or the Mighty Magyars was the record-breaking and world famous varsity Hungary national football team of the 1950s considered in many opinions to be the greatest national side in international competition. It is praised, among other accomplishments, as the team that re-invented football in the postwar era. With its association to several high profile matches, it partook in four historically significant games of the 20th century, including the "Match of the Century", the "Battle of Berne", "The Greatest Game Ever Played", and the "Miracle of Berne", and was the first team to defeat the USSR in the Soviet Union.
The team's brilliant procession from the spring 1950 lasted to the eve of the heroic and ill-fated 1956 Hungarian Revolution. It is credited with directly leading to a kind of a future tense football that opened a new chapter in the game's tactical calculus for positional fluidity rendering the prevailing and contemporary form and style a game of other times. It introduced a powerful revolutionary ground game with its polyvalent quasi-4-2-4 offense and an early version of the famous 360-degree "Total Football" strategy that later the Dutch football scene operated. Hungary's highly successful tactics were adopted, finally perfected and subsumed by succeeding world champion Brazilian teams for the 1958, 1962 and 1970 World Cup editions.
One of the most technically superb teams in history, by ratio of victories per game, tactical renovation, in company with its acclaimed matches, ranks as one of international sport's most dominant forces in the 20th century. As the definitive sports machine from the Eastern Bloc of the time, it was also used a major tool and by Hungarian communist authorities in the propaganda war with the Cold War West, heralding socialist ideals in liberating the genius that lay dormant in the proletariat. Its sporting prominence have been commented on by postwar historians who note its measured influence on central European political and economic climes after one of the most celebrated World Cup competitions in 1954. The ensemble could call half-a-dozen world-class players within its cast, led by its iconic captain, Ferenc Puskás (84 goals / 85 caps), prodigy Sándor Kocsis (75 goals / 68 caps), deep-lying striker Nándor Hidegkuti, swift and buccaneering left winger Zoltán Czibor, great midfield choreographer József Bozsik, who set the tenor on both sides of the ball, and a first rater in Gyula Grosics at goal. The incomparable attacking nexus of Puskás-Kocsis-Hidegkuti furnished the Magnificent Magyars with 198 goals, Mihály Lantos, József Zakariás and Jenő Buzánszky modelled a solid and oft-outperforming defense.
A view of performances reveal the Magyars' eminent domain on world football's highest landscape. Exempting a controversial 1954 World Cup final match that later this article will cover, Hungary in class-A internationals would see no defeats for 6 years among its 42 victories and 7 draws — that lifts the team into the sphere of the most truly remarkable. At the height of their powers, another exceptionally quality is excellence in attaining the strongest theoretical power rating ever recorded in the sport's history using the Elo rating system for national teams (2166 points, June 1954). It remains to be seen if this coveted football touchstone can be again reached — but in the abstract and on paper, it can be inferred the 1954 Magical Magyar team could lay title to international soccer's all time power index. Their golden age was an expanse of 50 matches, and the team's essential hard currency was offensive bandwidth, during which years a largesse of 215 goals were produced on the game's highest plane.
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Total Football and Advent of "Playmaker"
The brainchild of the team at the managerial level, Gusztáv Sebes, knead his socialist credentials to a new formulaic style that caused world soccer to witness "socialist football" in its prime — team game that would brush aside a collection of individuals for six years to set milestones not set before or since. A lasting contribution of considerable importance of the Magyars, in particular, involved the prototype advent of a crucial player that would put the game on a tactical furthering - the deep lying centre-forward. Sebes and his staff were keen to pionneer a new genre of football, a direct genetic prelude to "Total Football" 20 years before the Dutch, where individual roles in strict zonal positions became more undefined.
Into this total sum versatile team solution (where players could shift and interplay different positions), behind Puskás and Kocsis, Sebes laid his most influential centerpiece — a high value player unveiled for a groundbreaking role that caused Hungary to reform the game forever. Nándor Hidegkuti was set as a deep-lying free trading centre-forward behind the twin beam of Puskás and Kocsis, known in football parlance as being "in the hole". This nuance of moving Hidegkuti off the main line put the game on a new course, and introduced into football's lexicon the fluid station called "playmaker". Opposing lines were unsteadied and pulled apart by this dual-purpose player by drawing a natural response and tendency from defenses to leave him unmarked and operate freely in space un-buffeted by not being amid the forwards. With event-driven spontaneity, Hidegkuti provided crashing sorties as ball movement dictated to crumble the center goal area; and unlocked in the No. 9 position a new autonomous revolutionary menacing robust character in football operating on the event horizon between midfield and the rearguards and between creator and goal scorer. Often called the "father of total football", Hidegkuti was a very strong offensive player (39 goals / 69 caps), and it was then this triune partnership of Puskás and Kocsis up front and a force-multiplier in Nidegkuti that opened many doors of attack across inflexible defenses to overwhelm and subordinate all traditional systems.
1952 Olympics
The innovationist Hungarians arrived to the 1952 Summer Olympics to display their strong command of the game in a state of fine tune as few others had before. In a little over 3 years unbeaten, their last 15 opponents were belabored by 5.27 goals-per-game. Only one team had defeated them in 19 matches, while winning 15. Already established was one of the great sides in football, exposure of the team to the world press occasioned by the Olympics gave Hungary a chance for a premier outside the Iron Curtain and the highly entertaining men's football tournament quickly proved to be a preview of coming attractions. With a mercurial fleet of goal scoring forwards Puskás, Sándor Kocsis, and super-sub Péter Palotás the team easily progressed through the playoffs at Helsinki in a five game demonstration of offensive throughput scoring 20, while their defense divested opponents just yielding only 2.
The most anticipated match up was the semi-final with star-spangled Sweden, the 1948 defending Olympic champions. In a performance highly rated as one of their finest, a Puskás first minute goal lit the becoming of a very emphatic game of every sort. Their 6-0 win was of outgoing quality and curried the attention of the most influential circles in the European football community — in the stands that day was Stanley Rous, secretary general of the English Football Association and future FIFA president who congratulated his counterpart with an offer to arrange a game at Wembley Stadium in England. In the championship final, in front of 60,000, the Magyars faced the world's No. 7 best team and 1948 Olympic finalist Yugoslavia; the defensively subdued duel was broken by Puskás in the 70th minute, and after their 2-0 victory, the sobriquet "The Golden Team" became immensely popular in Hungary.
European Championship
During this era, Hungary also participated in the Central European International Cup, a nations cup for teams from Central Europe and legal predecessor of the pan-European European championship. Competing national sides included Austria, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Switzerland. The 5th tournament began in 1948, and concluded after 5 years in an acclaimed match some have called "The first European Championship final" between Hungary and a powerful two-time World Cup champion Italian team.
Italy was, in many ways, the frontier and nursery for early European continental footballing ideas, and in the 1930s and put together a master class run from 1934 scaling international soccer's summit by gaining two World Cups consecutively in 1934 and 1938, distinguished as Europe's only enjoyer of World Cup championship success. Indeed one of Italy's key contributions to the game had been modelling a highly organized backline that was intended to prevent goals. One of the world's most indurate defensive constructs underscored their near un-beatability.
Partial to nurturing and perfecting defense, Italian football was virtually the anti-pole to the offense-based polarity of the Hungarians who viewed themselves as natural attackers. Italy's superior capacity for defense is given much credence: Exempting a rare defeat to England in 1948, the Azzurri had not allowed more than 2 goals into their own net in 36 home stands dating from 1934, sporting an excellent unbeaten record. Behind their only defeat since 1934, the Italians furthered their senior defense that no more than 1 goal was put past their famed backline after 1948 in any home match that impress one the most. Compounding the seemingly demanding mission of making head against the two-time world champions, Hungary entered Italy staged to the national inaugural of Rome's famous new Stadio Olimpico that appeared to be a very daunting intimidating fortress of grandeur.
After regal opening ceremonies, on May 17, 1953, 90,000 spectators witnessed a tremendous diametric encounter that offered proper perspective between the embodiment of possibly the world's top defensive unit, the world's best frontline and the Magyar's fluid and rhythmic carriage of motion belying artfully crafted tactical guile. The footballing world would see a irresistible force about to march against the immoveable object — a mere glimpse into the "Match of the Century".
The Italians came out with their reputed defensive superiority as had been known before and the outcome trembled between a hard compound of defending ardor on both sides, nonplussing early Hungarian forays. By the first half's close, the élan of the Hungarian front-four gainfully accosting the Azzurri defense started to stylistically solve it by short telling passes from midfield that towed out the main Italian line exposing their rear to rewardingly cast arches vacuumed up by a dodging Puskás and a half fit Hidegkuti who had turned his ankle in the first minute. A Hidegkuti goal at 41st minute, and later two strong scores by Puskás in the second half, one a particular strong left-footed line drive from the top of the penalty box, put the game away 3-0.
So irrepressible was Puskás not only to win, that while leading 2-0 late in the game, he hectored his teammates for continued attacks and keeper Grocsis to give him the ball at every opportunity that even delighted Italian fans who though much of the wonderful soccer they just witnessed to shower the visitors with ovation at the end. Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport in summerized the stunning developments at the inaugural with high praise mixed with a native angst: “How is it possible to play against a team that is lining up with seven fuoriclasse (unequals)?”
Hungary eventually emerged top of the table with 11 points, and their great 3-0 victory in Rome was the Magical Magyar's third great international triumph signaling their stride from a relative continental power into that of a world power. A match was arranged later that November that had major implications for soccer theory onward and long held insular myths, that would dramatically precipitate a re-shaping of new core footballing ideas and displace, for half a generation in the least, the dominion of football. To occur was a tremendous collision of titans — between the Magical Magyars and the lofty creators of the game to finally decide the differentia between the old masters and nouveau riche arrivals who operated a powerful and unbeatable brand of soccer.
"Match of the Century"
The English had invented the modern game in last half of the 19th Century. Its first laws and rules patented by a solicitor by trade Ebenezer Cobb Morley, and soon grew immensely popular across all spectrum of society due to its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements, being globalized as the world's most popular association sport in the last decade of the 19th Century and early 20th Centuries.
Since the codification of football in 1863 in Victorian England, the English national team had never suffered defeat on its home shores from foreign opposition from outside the British Isles, and their successful tradition had been penultimate and globally decisive. The producers of football had turned aside effort in 90 years to overcome the mightiest team of them all. This proud long reign of invincibility knit to semi-mythology was legendary, embedded into socio-national consciousness and ethos as a redoubt and post to which Englishmen could view with surety and confidence in spite of all forecasts, vissisitudes and the ever-changing times. Gorgeous, wonderful, and victorious English football possessed a feel of unbeatable quality and romantic neo-imperial Victorian inheritance with a direct unbroken connection to the palmiest days of the British Empire.
The British press, in building out the game that lay ahead, galvanized worldwide radio and newsprint audiences naming it the "Match of the Century" - and a visit towards both team's theoretical power, the media's remark of the match taking on world significance as "the world championship decider" - was a very becoming view considering the acme strength of both nations. England was ranked No. 3 in the world with a theoretical power rating of 1943 points, or the No. 2 best team in the Old World (Argentina being ranked No. 2 with 2048 points). Hungary was ranked No. 1 in the world with a theoretical power of 2050* points. The anxiously promising match was ever England's sternest challenge to stem a gathering juggernaut from across the Channel from behind the Iron Curtain that had remained unbeaten for over three and a half years — and in deference to a remarkable tradition, un-trampled power in Europe, and home record England would have its place in the sun again as the highly approved side.
England fielded a squad of considerable and legendary power within a time-tested and patently English tactical package (3-2-2-3 i.e. the WM formation) catalyzed in 1925 at the Arsenal Football Club by Herbert Chapman. It was formed of all the stars of League First Division, some of whom were of world renown and who's reputation were second to none, two of whom would be knighted for exceptional footballing services. These included a world-class football maestro, the ageless Stanley Matthews who supplied much aerial and crossing prowess to set up goals where ever he went, a much feared powerful center-forward in Stan Mortensen who had scored 23 goals in 25 appearances, world famous Alf Ramsey, a superb defender with special spatial awareness and technique, and their very capable center-half captain Billy Wright, the first player in the 20th century to have 100 appearances for a national team. At England's order was a very powerful midfield, a quadrangle of four players, with a high work rate of fetching and carrying the ball up and down the field whom the Hungarians referred to as "the piano-carriers" led by Wright.
This highly successful system mated to a hardy, open, spontaneous and industrial style, its usually high quality personnel, united by a wondrous unmistakable English competitive spirit saw England take on all comers outside the Isles since 1901 and never have the world's finest left England victorious.
On a foggy Wednesday afternoon on November 25 1953, in front of 105,000 in Empire Wembley Stadium and to millions of worldwide listeners and television viewers the "The Magical Magyars" mesmerized, and the tactical mileage and individual skill sets between the world's No. 3 and the world's top team was seen and revealed to everyone immediately. Within the first minute, the whole English defense experienced and fell under ever-changing geometric pressure originating out of midfield. The Magyars' startling attack proved insolvable with a new ground game that made lanes into England's stout stereotypical WM formation and exploited a flaw in their rigid marking system that opened yawning gaps by cleverly drawing defenders out of position. Nándor Hidegkuti could not be subdued, and 45 seconds into the match ran down a center seam, sold a dummy thereby freezing the rearguard, diagonally angled inside and sent a rising 15-yard vector into the upper right corner of the net beyond the lunging mitt of goalkeeper Gil Merrick - quickly 1-0. Throughout the game Hidegkuti was un-markable in a starring role as he haunted the English line mixed with befuddling actions of Ferenc Puskás — a man who always seemed to move economically and inexorably towards goal and drive in balls from all possible angles and distances — and the Hungarian line that posed tactical riddles by shifty interchanging their positions almost clairvoyantly on queue.
A well-timed English counter-attack ensued that began in the penalty area, and down field Stan Mortensen released Jackie Sewell who put it past Grosics to keep station 1-1 at 13 minutes. But Nándor Hidegkuti fatefully scored again off a poor clearance; and Ferenc Puskás became the world leader for most international goals via a seven-pass circumnavigation of the English defense, culminating in what some have called the "Goal of the Century". Puskás' famous "drag-back" goal imparted on him football immorality by an unrehearsed maneuver still a mainstay on classic highlight footage. It involved Puskás taking up a position on the right-hand side of the six-yard box after receiving a less than perfect short flat pass from right as Billy Wright barrels down to dispossess the escaping ball that drifts toward the dead-ball line. Puskás reflexively drags back the loose ball with the sole of his boot in the last instant before his tackler arrives leaving the English captain finding empty space with the ball had been de-cleated and flat on his back, Puskás then pivots to find a ray of daylight between the near post and keeper Gill Merrick. A Puskás cannonball between the crook of Merrick's left arm and the near post propelled a 3-1 scoreline. Following soon was another Ferenc Puskás score — a deflected József Bozsik free-kick that burrowed into the net. Within half an hour, the score line was 4-1. Ten minutes of the restart the match's competitive phase had been resolved. A wondrous József Bozsik climbing line drive from top the penalty box, and Hidegkuti — indelibly writing his signature on the game — smashed home a goal off a lob managed to accomplish his famous hat trick — crushed the paleo-tactics in application since 1925 at the whistle 6-3.
The Magical Magyars' performance had been unequivocal that seemed to presage a tactical revision of the game from static models into a versatility-based new age that allowed players maximum freedom of movement into a compelling case of inceptive modern football side by side the dated operating system. The match's value for the Magical Magyars' was inestimable as their magnus opus, for soccer itself the panoromic prevision of how the future game would be played stimulated new ideas both within and outside The Continent finding final value with the world champion Brazilian sides of 1958, 1962, 1970, and later a Dutch interpretation of style that vied in gripping matches in the World Cup finals of 1974 and 1978. The famous Wembley game of 1953 was a historical watershed, subject to acres of newsprint, informative scholarship and introspective analysis that has taken on a near mythical station in football lore — argueably being the 20th century's the most influential match.
1954 World Cup
To a great majority vantage points, both to many inside and outside the game, Hungary's mass re-entry into the 1954 World Cup were to be a crowning of sorts. Football world supremacy would be decided after their epic coming together and rendezvous with Latin America's soccer superpowers. Hungary was widely appraised by consensus as possessing the most redoubtable team to perform this portfolio of objectives.
The 16 finalists were grouped in fours and only two would see the next round in the quarterfinals. Hungary shared Group B with Turkey, West Germany, and South Korea.
On June 17th 1954 in Zurich, The Magyars opened their campaign against a debutant South Korean team, who were making their first journey to the World Cup finals. In spite of the Korean War's ending the year before, flights commercially out from Korea did not exist, and the Korean players had to endure a tiring six-day odyssey by trail, road, air and sea to arrive to the tournament in Switzerland that added to their physical unrest. On less than a full day's recovery, the diminutive Koreans soon came into contact on the field with Hungary. The tempo and pentameter of the Hungarians' mode of attack was record-breaking. Within twenty minutes, half of the Korean team went down with fatigue and cramps not being able to meet the speed and swift maneuvers of their counterparts. Again, it was Puskás who proceeded to score first in the 12th minute, and a torrential pastiche of descriptive goals followed with Sándor Kocsis adding 3 more en route to a staggering 9-0 win. This is still the contemporary mark for the largest goal margin set in a World Cup finals competition.
Three days later on June 20, 1954, the Magical Magyars went into action against one of their other group opponents, an unseeded and largely unremarkable West Germany squad who were not expected to do much in the competition. West German manager, Sepp Herberger, in a calculation to schedule his team for the best of chances should another match with the Hungarians occur, went with a deliberate understrength squad to rest many his regulars and wear out the Magical Magyar onslaught. Helmut Schoen, Herberger's assistant, later recalled it hinging on the idea that Germany could still qualify for the quarter-finals despite a loss. With a view to reconnoiter and have insight into Hungary's strength and on-field formation while keeping his A-team fresh and plans unexplored, Herberger's decision caused wide criticism back home in Germany to the contrary.
With crisp fine fettled precision, deft dribbling and passing dialogue that would later define Brazilian football's joyous magic for decades, Hungary precipitated themselves against the opposing line and soon glode past bulwarks within the third minute to score. Surprising no one, a heavy programme of soccer assault ensued -- the German goal area was closed in from all sides from the start. Inside-forward Sándor Kocsis was like a cavalier man possessed, individually boring through and accounting amazingly for 4 goals, a feat which would not be challenged for 40 years. This match contains hues of controversy for the objectionable and notoriously aggressive roughness imposed on the Hungarian captain, Puskás. The Hungary FA would later allege three crucial fouls the match's refereeing missed undermined the tournament's officiating, the last being the most damaging. All throughout the game, German defender Werner Liebrich was deputed to mark the indefatigable and spirited Puskás. At the height of the game, with Hungary leading 6-1, Liebrich issued the most debilitating if not fateful tackle of the match. Puskás was caught by a vicious ankle tackle from behind that put Hungary's principal source of power and purveyor of fortune provisionally out of the tournament with a sorely bruised ankle. The game ended very strong 8-3 for the Magyars, but the injury subtraction of Puskás would throw its competitive future into question.
In Germany, the public view on Sepp Herberger's decision to probe and not play Hungary at full strength caused a backlash with many demanding his resignation for not offering a sterner challenge to the world's best team. Regardless, Herberger's calculation worked as he had planned. Germany defeated Turkey 7-3 three days later in a requisite playoff to ensure passage into the final group of eight.
"Battle of Berne"
Football had come relatively early to Brazil, transmitted through the son of a British expatriate in São Paulo - Charles William Miller -- and had developed very rapidly. In 1894 football was established with the rules of the game in country and they took their love and passion for the game very seriously.
- to be written still
In the quarter-finals Hungary won 4-2, surviving a bruising encounter with Brazil, in a game infamously referred to as the Battle of Berne. They then reached the final after they defeated reigning World champions Uruguay in the semi-finals. The game was 2-2 in extra time until Kocsis scored twice to seal another 4-2 win. In the final they met Germany once again.
The Wankdorf Stadion in Berne saw 60,000 people cram inside to watch the final between Germany and Hungary. The game saw Ferenc Puskás playing even though he was not fully fit. Despite this he put his team ahead after only 6 minutes, and with Zoltán Czibor adding another two minutes later it seemed destined that the pre-tournament favourites would take the title. However with goals from Max Morlock and Helmut Rahn before half time the tide began to turn. The second half saw telling misses from the Hungarian team and then with six minutes left Rahn scored his second. Puskás then had a goal disallowed with two minutes left before the game and Hungary’s unbeaten record was ended.
The era of the Magical Magyars came to an end with the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The team had been built around the successful Budapest Honvéd team that won the Hungarian League four times during the 1950s. In 1956 Honvéd entered the European Cup and in the first round they were drawn against Athletic Bilbao. Honvéd were on their way back from Bilbao when revolution erupted back in Budapest[1]. Several of the players including Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis and Ferenc Puskás[1] subsequently stayed in Western Europe (mainly in the dictatorial Spain) and never played for Hungary again.
Golden Team Alumni
Curriculum Vitae, Statistics & Records
- World Record: (June 4 1950 to Feb 19 1956) 42 victories, 7 draws, 1 defeat ("Miracle of Berne") - 91.0% winning percentage ratio. A 50 consecutive Class-A international performance unlikely to be paralleled.
- Team Record (June 4 1950 to July 3 1954) 32 game undefeated narrative, broken on June 14 2009 by Spain after being unmatched for 55 years.
- World Record: strongest theoretical power ever attained in the sport's history using the Elo rating system for national teams, 2166 points (set June 30 1954). This standout distinction yet stands unequalled. Brazil ranks No.2 behind Hungary with a theoretical power rating of 2153 points (set June 17 1962). Argentina set the third highest Elo rating of 2117 points on April 3 1957, followed by France (high: 2106 pts. Aug. 15 2001).
- World Record: longest time undefeated in 20th and 21st Centuries: 4 years 1 month (June 4 1950 to July 4 1954). This record is likely never to be repeated.
- World Record: most collaborative goals scored between two starting players (Ferenc Puskás & Sándor Kocsis) on same national side (159 goals). This record is likely never to be repeated.
- World Record: Hungary manager Gusztáv Sebes holds the highest ratio of victories per game past 30 matches with 82.58% (49 wins, 11, draws, 6 defeats). Brazil legend Vicente Feola (1955-1966) owns the second highest with 81.25 (46 wins, 12 draws, 6 defeats). This record is highly unlikely to be matched.
- World Cup Record: 5.4 goals-per-match in a single World Cup finals tournament. This record is likely never to be repeated.
- World Cup Record: +17 goal differential in a single World Cup finals tournament. This record is likely never to be repeated.
- World Cup Record: 2.2 goals-per-match average for individual goal scoring in a single World Cup finals tournament (Sándor Kocsis 11 goals in 5 games). This record is highly unlikely to be matched.
- World Cup Record: highest margin of victory ever recorded in a World Cup finals tournament match ( Hungary 9, South Korea 0 - July 17 1954). This record is highly unlikely to be broken.
- World Cup Precedent: first national team to defeat two-time and reigning World Cup champion Uruguay in a World Cup finals tournament (Hungary 4, Uruguay 2, semi-final — July 30 1954).
- World Cup Precedent:Sándor Kocsis, first player to score 4 goals in a World Cup finals match (Hungary 8, West Germany 3 - July 20 1954).
- World Cup Match of Note: infamously brutal game played during a World Cup finals tournament (Hungary 4, Brazil 2, see "Battle of Berne" quarter-final — June 27, 1954)
- National Record: Equalled highest margin of victory recorded by Hungarian national team (Hungary 12, Albania 0 - Sept. 23 1950).
- Olympic Precedent: first national side from behind the Iron Curtain to win the men's Olympic football tournament (Hungary 2, Yugoslavia 0 Aug. 2 1952 Helsinki)
- Precedent: first national side in the world to eclipse a 1888 Scottish record of being undefeated in 22 consecutive matches (32 games).
- Precedent: first national side from outside the British Isles to defeat England at home since the codification of association football in 1863, a span of 90 years (Hungary 6, England 3, see "Match of the Century" - Nov. 25 1953).
- Hungary's 7-1 defeat of England in Budapest the next year is still England's record defeat.
- Precedent: first national side to defeat the Soviet Union at home (Hungary 1, Soviet Union 0 - Sept. 23 1956).
- Precedent: first national team in history to simultaneously host the No.1 and No. 2 world record holders for most goals scored internationally (Ferenc Puskás 84 goals, Sándor Kocsis 75 goals) from May 11 1955 to October 14 1956.
- Team Record vs. Elo Ranked Opponents: (June 4 1950 - Oct. 14 1956), vs. world Top-10 ranked opponents: 11 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss / vs. world Top 5 opponents: 4 wins, 0 draw, 1 loss.
- Individual Record: Ferenc Puskás, No.1 record holder for most goals scored internationally (60-84 goals) from Nov. 25 1953 to Nov. 28 2003.
- Individual Record: Sándor Kocsis, No.2 record holder for most goals scored internationally (60-75 goals) from May 11 1955 to Oct. 4 1970.
- Individual Record: Sándor Kocsis, world leader for goals-per-match average past 43 internationals in history (1.103 goals/game).
- Individual Record: Sándor Kocsis, world's all time winning-est forward past 31 scores or 49 caps, with an astounding 84.56% winning percentage (52 won, 11 draws, 5 lost).
Honours
| Olympic medal record | ||
| Football | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1952 Helsinki | Men's Football |
- Olympic Champions
- 1952
- Central European International Cup
- 1948/53
- World Cup
- Finalist 1954
References
- ^ a b Lanfranchi, Pierre; Matthew Taylor (2001). "Introduction". Moving with the Ball: The Migration of Professional Footballers. Berg Publishers. p. 4. ISBN 1859733077. http://books.google.com/books?hl=hu&lr=&id=1ZdIcMR4a4UC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Golden+Team+Puskas&ots=kLx1ypnTWA&sig=ptaBZ-qYCpFGF0m7TgyGBzrPJcc#PPA4,M1. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
Further reading
- Puskas, Ferenc (1998). Rogan Taylor. ed. Puskas on Puskas: The Life and Times of a Footballing Legend. Robson Books. ISBN 1861051565.
External links
- Aranycsapat - dedicated web page
- Gusztáv Sebes biography
- Hungary's Famous Victory
- Dr. Gerő Cup 1948-53
- National football teams' rankings
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