Ferenc Puskás: The “Galloping Major” | OneFootball

Born on April 1, 1927, Ferenc Puskás remains one of football’s greatest (if sadly still little known) legends. He was renowned for his extraordinary goal-scoring ability, tactical intelligence, and lethal left foot. Born in a Budapest suburb, his father was the coach of local club Kispest AC. He spotted and nurtured his son’s talents from a young age. His father reportedly played Ferenc under a pseudonym “Miklós Kovács” at twelve years old to bypass the league’s age restrictions.

His senior career began in 1943, and in 1949 Kispest AC was renamed Honvéd Budapest after its takeover by the Hungarian Ministry of Defense. At this time, all players were given military ranks, and he became known as the “Galloping Major.” Honvéd dominated Hungarian football with five league titles and Puskás finished as Europe’s top scorer in 1948 with a tally of 50 goals!

The Mighty Magyars

His international career was no less stellar. As captain of Hungary’s “Mighty Magyars”, he led his team to gold at the 1952 Olympics. In the 1954 FIFA World Cup Hungary seemed unstoppable, losing in the final to West Germany under controversial circumstances (Puskás had a goal called back for offsides). In all, he appeared 85 times for Hungary, scoring 84 goals, one of the best ratios in history.

Career in Spain

Honvéd was playing a friendly match against Athletic Bilbao when the Hungarian Revolution erupted in the summer of 1956. Along with many of his teammates, Puskás refused to return to Hungary. He endured a two year ban as a result, but triumphantly returned in 1958 with Real Madrid. At this time, Puskás was 31 years old, and visibly overweight. It didn’t matter. His partnership with striker Alfredo di Stefano led Real to five consecutive league titles between 1961 and 1965. He also won four Pichichi Awards (’60, ’61, ’63, ’64). His record of goals scored over the age of 30 was only broken last Saturday by Robert Lewandowski. It had stood for sixty years.

Later Years

After retiring in 1966 having scored 619 goals in 618 matches, Puskás would go on to manage twelve different clubs and two national teams (Saudi Arabia and Hungary). His death from pneumonia in 2006 brought heartfelt tributes from many of his peers. But his legacy lives on in the annual FIFA Puskás Award presented to “the most beautiful goal” scoring of the year. A fitting tribute for a legend.