How did football develop in our country, what were the milestones of Hungarian football history? How did the First World Championship take place, what legendary victories could be booked for the former Hungarian troops? In the first part of our series you can read about the “big bang” of Hungarian football; now let us put ourselves in the middle of the timeline.
“The foot-ball game started to occupy our country. […] The first test that was held last Sunday will probably lead the management of MAC [Magyar Athletica Club] to schedule a track soon and perhaps as a closing event, it will organize one or two races from this game” – said the Sport World’s one of the 1896th (certainly not stipulated) yearly issue. Well, in one or two races became more of it.
In our previous article, you can get to know the beginning; as a closing remark, we mentioned that in 1925 football had developed so far in our country that it was straightforward to our strongest national sport. Let’s jump in the middle of what’s happening.
Fortuna did not smile at us the first huge round of matches: the first football world championship – the flagship of football’s most prestigious event – was held in 1930, and the Hungarians could not spell out the championships. However, this was understandable because the individual countries did not qualify as a competitor, but on a non-qualifying basis. In 1934, however, the situation was different and we showed Bulgaria the first qualifier that we did well with the ball (we also got a confident victory on the back and forth). We then also directed Egypt behind us, but unfortunately the Austrians stopped our team.
He was born as the first born child of the family, his father was also a footballer, who received semi-professional contracts from Kispest. On the surrounding grundos, he coated his own day-long soccer ball with his comrades, then at the age of sixteen at the Kispest NB I adult team – nine years later, and in 1952 he was the Hungarian captain of the team. Who are we talking about? Of course Ferenc Puskás! About Ferenc Puskás, who scored 85 goals in his 85 national games, and pocketed a number of goalscards (later under the auspices of Real Madrid). Öcsi – the most successful scorer of all time – then trained as a coach and returned home to Hungary at the end of his career.
Although in the light of recent events it is difficult to believe, our team has produced a 100% balance in 1945, and two years later we won the first Balkan Cup, then the European Cup and then the second Balkan Cup. Let’s just say it: our performance fell to everyone. The Golden Team in the “official” sense was only formed in 1949 and won from 55 matches in 1949 and 1956, with a total score of 12 on the 12th. One of the greatest glory of the season was the gold medal at the Helsinki Olympics.
In 1953 we played our former teachers, against the English, and in a strange way. At the meeting, there was no surprise for the home team, because we were beaten 6: 3, and we managed to make the adventures of the entire football world. In front of the Budapest striker, the undercover English team had a shaky rest on the Balaton, and again in the game again ugly, this time they lost a 7: 1 defeat to our “sons”. (Since then, the saying goes: “The British came for a week, went with seven …”). The successes of our march were ended by the Germans who ended in the 1954 World Cup finals (from 2: 0 to 3: 2) victory over the Hungarian team.
Giant goal kick, huge turnarounds… and we are only in the ’50s. Keep up with us at the next, finishing station in our series, where we review the cornerstones of our history until the 2000s!