Galloping Major – Ferenc Puskas.
Ferenc Puskás Biró was one of the great players of the beautiful game, died today. After suffering a number of years with Alzheimer’s, a fever and pneumonia got him aged 79.
A true legend for Honved, Hungary & Real Madrid he lead the Mighty Magyars when they became the first overseas team to beat England at home and christ did they beat them 6-3 at Wembley following up with a 7-1 thrashing in Budapest. This after the English press had dubbed him to small and fat to trouble our boys. It certainly had an effect on at least one English player and the humiliation of the fullback on the day Alf Ramsey had a lot to do with ’66 and all that.
Unfortunately injured for the ’54 World Cup final, Hungary couldn’t overcome West Germany who they had thrashed 8-3 in the first round and lost 3-2, after being 2-0 up 8 minutes in, though he did score the first. This one result probably had the most effect on German football’s rise to the top of world football after the war. So Puskas and his mates are to blame 😉
After refusing to return to communist controlled Hungary, he eventually found himself at Real Madrid where he helped the Spanish side to another 3 European Cups including the 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park in Glasgow, widely regarded as one of the great games.
Sometimes stats don’t lie – 83 goals in 84 games for Hungary, 512 goals in 528 games for Real Madrid.
I remember watching the Real-Eintracht Frankfurt final on video when ill from school once – a more worthwhile lesson than any I’d have received in the primary school classroom. At the very least, it helped explain why my dad’s cat had the name Puskas…
There’s only one thing that troubles me…
http://www.arsenal.com/images/p/puskas_arsenal.jpg
I think it might be because your dad may know a thing or two 😉
Yup I saw the clip of that, keepy up then slam the ball past Banks, a shameful period of his life.