Modern football fans are sure to be familiar with the FIFA Puskás Award, which is annually awarded for the "most beautiful goal" over the past year. The legendary accolade is in honour of none other than Ferenc Puskás, who is arguably the greatest player in Hungary history.
Puskás is not just one of the best players football has seen, but also the sport's first international superstar. His legacy goes way beyond football, such were his heroics and influence.
We will be looking back at the Hungarian attacking midfielder's time with Real Madrid in this article, where he spent a glorious 8 years.
From Hungary to Spain
Owing to the political scenario of Hungary at the time, Ferenc Puskás refused to return to his homeland. Thus, spelling the end of his legendary 13 year run at Hungarian side Budapest Honvéd.
The Hungarian forward shifted to Spain, where he initially played a few unofficial games for RCD Espanyol. This was a time when Italian giants Juventus and AC Milan were interested in signing the player, but his then two-year ban from UEFA for refusing to return to Budapest affected those moves. Puskás then moved to Australia and subsequently Italy.
After the expiration of his ban, the Hungarian tried to play in Italy but was not able to find a top-flight club willing to sign him. The player's age and weight were seen as major concerns by several Italian managers, thus opting not to sign him.
Manchester United were considering to sign the player though, especially to strengthen a squad that was unfortunately ravaged by the Munich Air Disaster in 1958. However FA rules regarding foreigners and Puskás' not knowing the English language were seen as obstacles for a move to take place. Thus, then stand-in United manager Jimmy Murphy could not fulfill his wish of signing the Hungarian.
A few months later however, Puskás was eventually signed by the mighty Real Madrid. At the age of 31, it was time for Hungary's legendary hero to restart his glorious football reign.
An era of domestic domination
Puskás had an extraordinary debut season with Los Blancos, during which he went on to score 4 hat-tricks. The match on 4th January 1959 against UD Las Palmas was particularly memorable, as Puskás and his magnificent teammate Alfredo di Stéfano both scored a hat-trick in Real's astounding 10-1 victory.
During the 1960–61 campaign, Puskás scored 4 goals against Elche CF, and continued to terrorize them by scoring 5 in the succeeding season. 1963 was yet another memorable year for the player, as he scored two hat-tricks home and away that season against Real's arch-rivals Barcelona.
In his 8 seasons with Los Blancos, Puskás made 180 La Liga appearances and scored 156 goals. The Hungarian scored at least 20 goals or more during the first 6 of these campaigns, and these heroics also saw him win the Pichichi four times (1960, 1961, 1963, and 1964).
His individual contributions were also instrumental in Real's domination of Spain at the time, as Puskás and Madrid won 5 consecutive La Liga titles (1961-65) and a Copa del Rey in 1962. He also scored both goals in the 2–1 victory over Sevilla FC in the Copa final.
Three-time European champion
Puskás was equally instrumental in Europe for Madrid, as he scored 35 goals in his 39 European cup appearances for the club. He helped Real reach the final of the 1958–59 European Cup, playing a key role in both legs of the semi-final tie against Atlético Madrid. However an injury ruled him out of the final against Reims. Nonetheless, Los Blancos were able to win the European title for their Hungarian star.
History repeated yet again in the following year, as Puskás continued his excellence to take Real to another final.The likes of Jeunesse Esch and FC Barcelona were especially the victims of his brilliance. Real won that year's final by a shocking 7-3 scoreline, as they beat Eintracht Frankfurt. Puskás scored a hat-trick in that historic final as well.
Puskás scored yet another hat-trick in the 1962 European Cup final against Benfica, but Los Blancos lost the match 5-3. However, he overcame the heartbreak and led Real to another European Cup final in 1966. Real won the final game against Partizan Belgrade, but Puskás did not play.
The Hungarian eventually left in Madrid 1966, bringing an end to a historic chapter.
