- Title: HUNGARY/FILE: Hungarian soccer great Ferenc Puskas dies in hospital
- Date: 18th November 2006
- Summary: (CEEF) BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (FILE - AUGUST 10, 2005) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF STADIUM ENTRANCE STADIUM ENTRANCE WITH FOOTBALL LEGEND FERENC PUSKAS'S NAME ON IT
- Embargoed: 3rd December 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA5B3G5Y5BLKV6W8HF7YRTLRZNS
- Story Text: Ferenc Puskas, the best player of his generation and a key member of the Hungary's "Golden Team" of the 1950s, died in hospital on Friday (November 17) after a long illness.
Puskas, who was known as "Little Brother" in Hungary, "The Galloping Major" in England and the "Booming Cannon" by Real Madrid fans, died at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT), his biographer Gyorgy Szollosi told Reuters.
The exact cause of death was cardiovascular and respiratory failure triggered by pneumonia, Hungarian news agency reported.
Puskas, whose international scoring record of 83 goals in 84 games stood until 2003, won Olympic gold with Hungary in 1954, league titles with his Hungarian club Honved and with Real Madrid, with whom he also won three European Cups.
Puskas was the inspiration behind the "Magical Magyars", the Hungarian national side that sensationally beat England 6-3 in 1953, the first foreign side to win at Wembley.
As the last millennium drew to a close, Puskas was voted the 20th century's fourth best player by the International Federation for Football History and Statistics.
Hungary's legendary sports commentator Gyorgy Szepesi broadcast all of Puskas's matches. For him, Puskas was simply the greatest Hungarian player ever.
"The most popular, most beloved Hungarian person was Ferenc Puskas. Why? It was thanks to his genius that can only be compared to Pele, Di Stefano, Maradona, to his unparalleled talents of being a real general who controlled the field. And he was a real, true man who helped everyone. Anyone could turn to him at any corner of the world and he helped them if he could. He was a player, he was a little bit of a wild boy but a true man. My heart aches that he left us so early, Szepesi said.
In 2005, Budapest's sports stadium was re-named in Puskas's honour, and was the scene for a testimonial match with Real Madrid. The match raised funds for Puskas's medical expenses. A crowd of about 40,000 attended, watching archive footage of Puskas before the match was played. Organisers said that the former player watched the match on television from his hospital bed. .
Born in April 1927, Puskas began his career in the domestic league aged 15 and won his first international cap three years later, scoring on his debut against neighbours Austria.
He was a talismanic member of Hungary's 1950s team that lost just one match -- the 1954 World Cup final -- in six years.
That side was devastated by Hungary's anti-communist uprising in 1956, after which Puskas went into exile.
In 1958, he resurrected his career at Real Madrid where he formed a lethal strike partnership with Argentine-born Alfredo Di Stefano, winning six domestic titles and conquering Europe.
Puskas scored four and Di Stefano three in Real's mesmerising 7-3 European Cup win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Glasgow in 1960 -- a match that has passed into soccer folklore.
Despite all the goals and fame, a former next-door neighbour from Madrid remembers Puskas as a down-to-earth man.
Puskas retired in 1967, going on to coach clubs in several countries, leading Greek side Panathinaikos to the European Cup final in 1971.
He was admitted to hospital in late 2000 with arteriosclerosis and was later diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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