Ferenc Puskás
Inside Left / Centre-Forward · Real Madrid · Hungary
About Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás is the greatest left-footed striker in football history and the key figure behind Hungary's "Mighty Magyars" — the team that went 32 matches unbeaten and revolutionised football tactics in the early 1950s. After Hungary's 1956 revolution, he defected to Spain and joined Real Madrid, winning three European Cups and the 1960 European Cup final hat-trick alongside Di Stéfano. FIFA's annual award for the best goal is named after him.
Ferenc Puskás's story
The Galloping Major
Puskás was born in Budapest and joined Kispest FC at 16. Nicknamed "The Galloping Major" for his army rank and his energetic play, he became the focal point of Hungary's legendary national team — the "Mighty Magyars" — who went 32 matches unbeaten and beat England 6–3 at Wembley in 1953, the first time England had lost at home to continental opposition.
The Shock of the 1954 Final
Hungary entered the 1954 World Cup as overwhelming favourites having been unbeaten for years. They led West Germany 2–0 in the final. Then they lost 3–2 in one of the sport's greatest upsets. The "Miracle of Bern" devastated Hungarian football. Puskás scored twice but had a goal disallowed that replays suggested was legal.
Defection and Real Madrid
After the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, Puskás defected to Spain while on tour with Honvéd. Real Madrid signed him — a decision that looked risky for a 31-year-old — and he immediately became one of the greatest Galácticos of the era. He and Di Stéfano formed the most prolific attacking partnership of their generation. He won three European Cups, scored 4 goals in the 1960 final, and the FIFA Puskás Award — given annually for the best goal scored worldwide — is named after him.
Did you know?
- 🏆 He scored 4 goals in the legendary 1960 European Cup final at Hampden Park — Real Madrid 7, Eintracht Frankfurt 3. It is considered the greatest club match ever played.
- 🏴 He scored twice in Hungary's 6–3 demolition of England at Wembley in 1953 — the first time England had ever lost at home to a continental team, a result that shocked British football to its core.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married Erzsébet Bilkei; they have a daughter, Anikó. He settled in Budapest after his playing days ended and died there in 2006.
- 🤸 His left foot was so precise and powerful that contemporaries said it was like having a second goalkeeper — balls he struck from 25 yards were indistinguishable from penalty kicks in their accuracy.
- 📊 His 84 goals in 89 international appearances for Hungary remain one of the greatest scoring rates in international football history.
- 🥇 FIFA named their annual award for the best goal scored worldwide the "Puskás Award" in his honour in 2009 — the greatest individual goalscoring legacy in the sport's history.
- 😤 His goal that would have equalised for Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final was disallowed by the referee — a decision that many historians consider among the most controversial in tournament history.
- 🌟 Di Stéfano, his attacking partner at Real Madrid, said: "Puskás had the most lethal left foot I ever saw. I trusted him more than anyone to score when it mattered."
- 🏟️ Budapest's national stadium was renamed the Puskás Aréna in 2019 — the most significant honour ever bestowed on a Hungarian footballer and one of only a handful of European national stadiums named after a player.
Honours
- European Cup x3: Real Madrid (1959, 1960, 1966)
- La Liga x5: Real Madrid (1961,1962,1963,1964,1965)
- La Liga Top Scorer x4: Multiple seasons (1960,1961,1963)
- Olympic Gold Medal: Hungary (1952)
- FIFA Puskás Award: Annual award for best goal named in his honour
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