Hungarian football legend Ferenc Puskas, has died aged 79 after a long battle against pneumonia. He had been in intensive care at a Budapest hospital for two months but had also been confined to hospital for six years with Alzheimer's disease.He led his country's 'Golden Team' of the early 1950s, and was part of the first foreign side to beat England at Wembley, winning 6-3 on 25 November 1953 . Prolific both domestically and on the international scene, Puskas scored 83 times in 84 matches for Hungary between 1945 and 1956, including two goals in the Magical Magyars' famous match against England. He also starred in a subsequent 7-1 win in Budapest which saw Hungary made favourites for the 1954 World Cup, but an injury limited his impact in Switzerland and they lost in the final to Germany.
Puskas scored 512 goals in 528 matches for Real Madrid from 1958 and in 1962 he took out Spanish citizenship in time to play for his adopted country at the 1962 World Cup. Playing alongside Alfredo di Stefano, he was the cornerstone of a succession of domestic and European glories, scoring four goals in Real's 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in a remarkable final at Hampden Park in 1960, and winning the European Cup three times in all.
Real Madrid president Ramón Calderón added: "This is one of the saddest days for the Madrid fans, He had many friends and was a man liked by everyone, admired as a professional and a person. The Madrid fans in general, and those of my age in particular, will feel a great emptiness for the loss of one our childhood heroes."
Puskas was truly one of the greats of the game. Click here for a fuller biography.
Ferenc Puskas football
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