Hungary’s Sport Successes

The most famous Hungarian national football team in the 20th century, was the Golden Team, who remained undefeated for 30 matches in a row between 1950 and 1954. Trained by Gusztáv Sebes, captain of the Football Association, an epoch-making personality in Hungarian football. The most famous Hungarian football team of all times, is associated with the legendary line-up of Grosics; Buzánszky, Lóránt, Lantos; Zakariás, Bozsik; Czibor, Hidegkuti, Budai II; Puskás, Kocsis, even though they only played together four times.

The first international success of the Golden Team was winning the gold medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki (followed by two gold medals in Tokyo and Mexico City in 1964 and 1968, respectively). In the Helsinki final, the Hungarian squad defeated the Yugoslavian team 2-0, with the goals of Puskás and Czibor. Yet, the Golden Team only earned world fame with its sensational victory over England.

On 25 November 1953, at the “Match of the Century”, the Hungarian squad overpowered the English national team 6-3 at Wembley, even though England had previously been undefeated for 90 years. It was fate’s cruel joke that one of the best ever football teams in the 20th, century could never rise to the peak, as on 4 July 1954, Sebes’ squad fell short at the Bern World Cup final. The Federal Republic of Germany rallied from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 against the best of Hungary.

For the team’s captain, Ferenc Puskás, the Golden Team’s end meant the beginning of his international individual career. On learning that the revolution had been suppressed, “Öcsi” (“Little Brother”) chose not to return to Hungary, after a South African tour which had not been permitted by the party leadership. He left for Vienna, then moved to Italy and ended up joining Real Madrid at the invitation of Santiago Bernabéu. Pancho, as called by the Spaniards, clinched six La Liga titles with the “Royal Squad”, and rose to the top of Europe by snatching the European Champion Clubs’ Cup three times.

At the 1960 European Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt, Puskás contributed to Real Madrid’s 7-3 victory by scoring 4 goals on his own, a record still unbroken. One year later, Puskás acquired Spanish citizenship, which is why he played for Spain at the 1962 World Cup in Chile. At Budapest, Honvéd and Puskás scored 358 goals in 349 matches. At Real Madrid, his goal ratio was 179 to 159. In the Hungarian national team, the “Galloping Major” scored 84 times in 85 matches, another record. The football player, who passed away 5 years ago, was elected the best Hungarian athlete of the 20th century in 2001.

Beyond doubt, the most successful ball sport in Hungary is water polo. Our water polo players established the Hungarian team’s absolute dominance with nine Olympic gold medals (the Hungarian water polo team, coached by Dénes Kemény has won the last three Olympic Games in a row), two World Championship titles, and twelve European Championship titles. The most memorable triumph in the history of Hungarian water polo came at the Melbourne Olympic Games. The quarter-finals against the Soviets on 6 December 1956, carried strong overtones as it happened one month after the Soviets crushed the Hungarian revolution.

A few minutes before the final whistle, the Hungarian team gained an insurmountable advantage. A Soviet player, Valentin Prokopov, lost his head and struck Ervin Zádor in the face with his elbow. As a result, Zádor’s eyebrow gashed, and blood gradually reddened the water. Zádor, the youngest member of the Hungarian team, had to leave the match, and as he walked along the pool, all hell broke loose in the packed stadium; angry spectators were about to assault the Soviets.

The referee eventually called off the match, which ended with a Hungarian victory. Due to his injury, Zádor could not play in the final, which was won by Hungary, but he involuntarily became a hero of the revolution. He settled in the US and never returned to Hungary.

The eponym of Hungary’s biggest indoors sports establishment, László Papp followed a different course than the members of the Golden Team or the water polo team. The boxer, after winning three Olympic gold medals as an amateur, was the first sportsman who was allowed to turn pro. He did not lose a match afterwards, defending his European title every time. Our most successful Olympic athletes are Aladár Gerevich, seven-time Olympic champion in fencing; six-time Olympic champions, Rudolf Kárpáti (fencer) and Pál Kovács (fencer); as well as Krisztina Egerszegi (swimmer) and Ágnes Keleti (gymnast), who both stood on the highest step of the podium five times.

Our first Olympic champion was Alfréd Hajós, referred to as the “Hungarian Dolphin”, who clinched the gold medal in 100-metre and 1200-metre freestyle in 1896. In 1924, he was awarded the silver medal in artistic architecture, at the art competition of the Paris Olympic Games.

We have to mention the still active Judit Polgár, the best ever woman chess player in history; football player Flórián Albert, who won the FIFA Golden Ball; Tamás Darnyi, one of the greatest medley swimmers in history; Katalin Kovács, the most successful sprint canoeist of all times with 29 World Championship titles; as well as Hungarian canoe and kayak sport and pentathlon.

Finally, mention must be made of the country’s most famous four-legged animal, Kincsem, the most successful race horse in world history, who won all 54 races she entered."

Source: eu2011.hu