Hungary was holding a national day of mourning on Saturday for the funeral of Ferenc Puskas, one of the greatest footballers of all time who led the "Mighty Magyars" to world dominance in the 1950s and Real Madrid to a string of titles in the 1960s.
The Hungarian flag was raised and then lowered to half mast outside parliament on Saturday morning, in the presence of President Laszlo Solyom and Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany.
Tens of thousands of Hungarians were expected to fill the national stadium, renamed after Puskas in 2002, for a memorial service in the afternoon.
FIFA president Jospeh Blatter, former French great Michel Platini, German star Franz Beckenbauer and Real Madrid aces Raymond Kopa and Francisco Gento, who were Puskas' teammates, were all expected to attend.
Afterwards a procession was to wind through the city to St. Stephen's Basilica, where Puskas was to be buried.
Puskas was the inspiration of Hungary's "Golden Team," which won Olympic gold in 1952 and was runner-up to Germany in the 1954 World Cup.
One of the game's best strikers ever with a fearsome left foot, Puskas scored a remarkable 83 goals in 84 international matches for Hungary from 1945 to 1956.
The "Golden Team" signalled its dominance in 1953 with a stunning 6-3 thrashing of England at Wembley, becoming the first overseas team to beat the English national side on their home turf. Puskas scored twice in that match.
After his defection to Spain in the wake of the failed 1956 Hungarian uprising against Soviet domination, Puskas joined Real Madrid where he was a cornerstone of the club which won three European Cup titles and seven league championships during his decade at the club from 1958 to 1967.
An accomplished coach after his playing career, Puskas directed Greek club Panathinaikos to league crowns twice and to a European Cup final in the 1970-71 season.
In the 1970s and 80s, Puskas coached nearly a dozen teams from North and South America, Europe, Africa and even Australia.
Among the teams he directed from the bench were Chilean club Colo-Colo, Greek side AEK Athens, Egyptian side Al-Masri and Panhellenic Melbourne in Australia.
Puskas settled in Hungary after the fall of communism and briefly held the job of caretaker coach of the national squad in 1993.
Born in 1927 in Budapest, Puskas was only 15 when he started playing in the Hungarian league for Kispest, later renamed Honved, or Army, in 1949.
From 1927 to 1956, Puskas scored 358 goals in 349 matches.
Known as the "Galloping Major" because of his rank, Puskas was posthumously promoted to brigadier-general.
He died on November 17 at the age of 79 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
This is the first time since the country's transition to democracy that a day of mourning has been declared for the funeral of a sports star, in homage to the legend who became the "best known Hungarian in the world."
Puskas, the legendary
Reply With Quote
