Hungary professional footballer Eponyms and public art Related Ferenc Puskás (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈfɛrɛnt͡s ˈpuʃkaːʃ], UK: /ˌfɛrɛnts ˈpʊʃkəʃ, ˈpʊʃkæʃ/ FERR-ents PUUSH-kəsh, PUUSH-kash;[2][3][4] né Purczeld;[1] 1 April 1927 – 17 November 2006) was a Hungarian footballer and manager, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and the sport's first international superstar.

He won three European Cups (1959, 1960, 1966), ten national championships (five Hungarian and five Spanish Primera División) and eight top individual scoring honors.

Afterward he'd have spells at various countries and clubs, including Spain, Paraguay and the Saudi Arabia national team, with varying success.

Ferenc Purczeld was born on 1 April 1927[16] to a German (Danube Swabian) family in Budapest and brought up in Kispest, then a suburb, today part of the city.

He began his career as a junior with Kispest Honvéd,[14] where his father, who had previously played for the club, was a coach.

[21] As the army club, Honvéd used conscription to acquire the best Hungarian players leading to the recruitment of Zoltán Czibor and Sándor Kocsis.

[25] Together with Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik, and Nándor Hidegkuti, he formed the nucleus of the Golden Team that was to remain unbeaten for 32 consecutive games.

Puskás finished the tournament as top scorer with ten goals and scored twice as Hungary claimed the trophy with a 3–0 win over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in 1953.

Two minutes from the end of the match Puskás scored a late equalizer but the goal was disallowed due to an offside call.

The players decided against going back to communist Hungary and arranged for the return with Athletic to be played at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.

[26] Puskás scored in the subsequent 3–3 draw, his first European Cup goal ever, but Honvéd were eliminated 6–5 on aggregate, and the Hungarian players were left in limbo.

They summoned[41] their families from Budapest, and despite opposition from FIFA and the Hungarian football authorities, they organised a fundraising tour of Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Brazil.

[44] At the same time, both AC Milan and Juventus attempted to sign him, but then he received a two-year ban from UEFA for refusing to return to Budapest,[45] which prevented him from playing in Europe.

[26] After his ban expired, Puskás tried to play in Italy but was not able to find a top-flight club willing to sign him, as Italian managers were concerned about his age and weight.

[22] He was considered by Manchester United to strengthen a squad ravaged by the Munich air disaster in 1958, but because of FA rules regarding foreigners and Puskás' not knowing the English language, stand-in manager Jimmy Murphy could not fulfill his wish of signing the Hungarian.

[46] During his first La Liga season, Puskás scored four hat-tricks, including one in his second game, against Sporting de Gijón on 21 September 1958.

In the game against Las Palmas on 4 January 1959, Puskás and Alfredo di Stéfano scored hat-tricks in a 10–1 win.

[43] On 28 October 1963, Puskás appeared in a game for the Madrid football team at the FFM Trofeo Bodas de Oro, and he scored two late goals in a 4–0 win over Andalusia.

[49] In 1967, at the age of 40, he appeared in a fundraising friendly game for South Liverpool, the English non-League side, in front of a 10,000-strong sell-out crowd at the club's Holly Park stadium.

[52] In the summer of 1978 he returned to Greece as coach of AEK Athens, where he was reunited with his former player at Panathinaikos, Mimis Domazos.

Puskás led the club to its biggest ever victory in the European Cup, a 6–1 defeat of Portuguese champions Porto in Athens, before their continental run was cut short in the second round by eventual competition winners Nottingham Forest 7–2 on aggregate.

[53][54] However, in March 1979 the club's management, fearing the eventual loss of the league, replaced him with his assistant, Andreas Stamatiadis, on an interim role for the final 11 games until the end of the season, due to the unstable performances of the team, which saw them drop to third place in the league table.

[55] The club of Athens eventually won the championship with Stamatiadis in charge in a play–off match that was never contested, as rivals Olympiacos refused to play.

[64] In a state funeral, his coffin was moved from Puskás Ferenc Stadion to Heroes' Square for a military salute.

[65][66] Source:[77] Appearances and goals by national team and year[78][79][80] Budapest Honvéd Real Madrid Hungary Individual Panathinaikos Sol de América South Melbourne Hellas