Two Hungarian teams are listed among the all-time best football teams
According to player.hu, FourFourTwo put together the list of the Top 50 Best Football Teams Ever. It must have been a hard task, but we’re thrilled to report that the most iconic Hungarian football player, Ferenc Puskás is listed three times with three different teams.
Firstly, Budapest Honvéd’s 1950-1955 team, known for the Ferenc Puskás-Sándor Kocsis-József Bozsik-Zoltán Czibor-Gyula Grosics power squad, is listed in the 28th place, mostly because the team was the “autocrat” of the Hungarian Football League in that era.
“With their movement off the ball, interchanging positions and clever passing, Honvéd played a kind of football that seemed to come from outer space. They could only do so because Coach Sebes could call on such greats as Ferenc Puskás, a one-footed genius who played every game in his head before it happened; Sándor Kocsis, a supremely gifted striker; visionary deep-lying playmaker József Bozsik; effervescent winger Zoltán Czibor and prototypical sweeper-keeper Gyula Grosics. One of the side’s lesser-known geniuses, defender-cum-midfielder Gyula Loránt, pioneered the use of zonal marking as a coach in Germany” writes fourfourtwo.com.
Secondly, the beloved and iconic Golden Team is listed in the illustrious 10th place. The team won the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952, they defeated England in Wembley by 6:3 on “the match of the century” and only lost two matches between the May of 1949 and the February of 1956. One of the losses was the World Cup final in 1954.
“Never shy of alliteration, the English press called them the Magical Magyars. They came together under Gusztáv Sebes, who advocated “socialist football” – a Total Football precursor in which players could swap positions at will. (…) Working almost constantly with the famous core of players, Sebes introduced tactical fluidity, rigorous fitness standards and meticulous planning. It worked.”
The website also highlights the famous 6:3 against England in 1953, when the Golden team was invited to the Wembley for a friendly match. The victory is probably the most cited moment of the Hungarian football history.
“Passing intelligent triangles around English players suddenly rendered oafish, they were exemplified by Times writer Geoffrey Green’s elegant description of their famous third Wembley goal: as Puskás created space in the box with an intelligent dragback, England captain Billy Wright “rushed past him like a fire engine going to the wrong fire” writes the website.
Last but not least, Real Madrid’s 1955-1960 team is listed in the 4th place, with which Puskás won five championship titles, three European Champion Clubs’ Cup’s and one Spanish cup.
The whole list:
- Ajax (1965–1973)
- Brazil (1970)
- Milan (1987–1991)
- Real Madrid (1955–1960)
- Barcelona (2008–2011)
- Liverpool (1975–1984)
- Spain (2007–2012)
- Inter (1962–1967)
- Santos (1955–1968)
- Hungary (1950–1956)
- Benfica (1959–1968)
- Bayern Munich (1967–1976)
- Torino (1945–1949)
- Celtic (1965–1974)
- Manchester United (1995–2001)
- NSZK (1970–1976)
- Independiente (1971–1975)
- Juventus (1980–1986)
- The Netherlands (1974–1978)
- Dinamo Kiev (1985–1987)
- Barcelona (1988–1994)
- Estudiantes (1967–1971)
- Boca Juniors (1998–2003)
- Preston North End (1888–1889)
- Juventus (1994–1998)
- Borussia Mönchengladbach (1970–1979)
- France (1996–2000)
- Budapest Honvéd (1950–1955)
- Nottingham Forest (1977–1980)
- Flamengo (1980–1983)
- Austria (1930–1936)
- Real Madrid (1984–1990)
- River Plate (1941–1947)
- PSV (1985–1989)
- France (1982–1986)
- Feyenoord (1968–1971)
- Manchester United (1965–1968)
- Brazil (1982)
- Ajax (1992–1996)
- Arsenal (1930–1935)
- Leeds United (1968–1975)
- Steaua Bucuresti (1984–1989)
- Tottenham (1960–1962)
- Arsenal (2003–2004)
- Marseille (1988–1993)
- Hamburg (1977–1983)
- Wolverhampton Wanderers (1953–1960)
- Chelsea (2004–2006)
- Saint-Étienne (1973–1977)
- Leicester City (2015–2016)
Photos: www.facebook.com/AlfahírLelátó
Copy editor: bm
Source: http://player.hu/