József Bozsik

József Bozsik
Personal information
Date of birth	November 28, 1925(1925-11-28)
Place of birth	Kispest, Hungary
Date of death	May 31, 1978 (aged 52)
Place of death	Budapest, Hungary
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1943–1962	Kispesti AC/Honvéd	477 (33)
National team
1947–1962	Hungary	101 (11)
Teams managed
1966–1967 1974	Budapest Honvéd FC Hungary
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. * Appearances (Goals)

Olympic medal record
Competitor for  Hungary
Men's football
Gold	1952 Helsinki	Team Competition

The native form of this personal name is Bozsik József. This article uses the Western name order.

József Bozsik (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈjoːʒɛf ˈboʒik]; November 28, 1925 – May 31, 1978) was a Hungarian footballer.

Biography

József Bozsik was born in Kispest, now a district of Budapest. Given the nickname "Cucu" by his grandmother, he grew up playing football on the local football grounds in Kispest with his best friend and neighbour Ferenc Puskás.^{[citation needed]}

As an 11-year-old, he attracted the attention of KAC and the club signed him to the youth team. In 1943, he made his debut for the first team against Vasas SC. He made his debut for Hungary at the age of 22 against Bulgaria on August 17, 1947 and went on to win 101 caps and score 11 goals between then and his final cap on April 18, 1962 against Uruguay.^{[citation needed]} Bozsik won the Olympic title with his country in 1952 in Helsinki and finished second with the Hungarian team in the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He also took part in Hungary's famous 6-3 win over England at Wembley and the team's 7-1 win over England in Budapest.

In 1956-57, Bozsik returned from Honvéd's winter tour to play in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. A year later, he won the Mitropa Cup with Honvéd. In all, he played 447 top-level games for KAC (and its legal successor BHSE) and scored 33 goals.

In his prime, Bozsik was considered the best attacking half-back in the world. He was known for his flawless technique, flair, tactical nous, passing accuracy and creativity, although he suffered from a lack of pace. He was often used as a deep lying playmaker where his tackling ability was also helpful. Throughout his career, Bozsik won many honours and was even made a Member of Parliament. After his retirement, he became a member of the board at his old club. He also managed the team for 47 matches between January 1966 and September 1967, after which he returned to his position on the board. In 1974, he was chosen to manage the Hungarian national team, but illness forced him to resign soon after he got the job.^{[citation needed]}

Death

József Bozsik died in Budapest, aged 52, due to heart failure. He was made a Freeman of Kispest posthumously.

External links

• József Bozsik - Century of International Appearances - RSSSF.

v • d • e Golden Team Gyula Grosics • Jenő Buzánszky • Gyula Lóránt • Mihály Lantos • József Bozsik • József Zakariás • László Budai • Sándor Kocsis • Nándor Hidegkuti • Ferenc Puskás • Zoltán Czibor • Coach: Gusztáv Sebes

v • d • e Hungary squad – 1954 FIFA World Cup Runners-up 1 Grosics • 2 Buzánszky • 3 Lóránt • 4 Lantos • 5 Bozsik • 6 Zakariás • 7 J. Tóth • 8 Kocsis • 9 Hidegkuti • 10 Puskás • 11 Czibor • 12 Kárpáti • 13 Várhidi • 14 Kovács • 15 Szojka • 16 Budai • 17 Machos • 18 Csordás • 19 Palotás • 20 M. Tóth • 21 Gellér • 22 Gulyás • Coach: Sebes

v • d • e Hungary squad – 1958 FIFA World Cup 1 Grosics • 2 Mátrai • 3 Sipos • 4 Sárosi • 5 Bozsik • 6 Berendi • 7 Budai • 8 Tichy • 9 Hidegkuti • 10 Bundzsák • 11 Sándor • 12 Kárpáti • 13 Szigeti • 14 Szojka • 15 Kotász • 16 Lachos • 17 Vasas • 18 Monostori • 19 Friedmanszky • 20 Bencsics • 21 Fenyvesi • 22 Ilku • Coach: Baróti