Ștefan Dobay

Ștefan Dobay (, 26 September 1909 – 7 April 1994), was a Romanian footballer who played as a striker and manager.

He mostly played for Ripensia Timișoara and the Romania national football team for whom he got 41 caps, scored 19 goals and he appeared at the 1934 and 1938 World Cups as a forward, scoring goals in each tournament.

Club career

Dobay, nicknamed "Calul" (The Horse) was born on 26 September 1909 in Újszentes, Austria-Hungary (today Dumbrăvița, Romania). In 1916, he lost his father on the battlefields of World War I.

On 26 September 1924 when he turned 15, Dobay made his debut in senior football, playing for Unirea CFR Timișoara in a 5–2 victory against Jimbolia. In 1926 he moved to neighboring club, Banatul where in the 1928–29 season he reached the semi-finals of the national league where they were defeated with 3–0 by România Cluj.

In 1930, Dobay went at Ripensia Timișoara where in his first five seasons he was four times the top-scorer of the season, in the 1936–37 edition sharing the first place with Traian Iordache. He won the championship title in the 1932–33 season, coach Jenő Konrád using him in 14 games in which he scored 16 goals, including a hat-trick in the final against Universitatea Cluj. In the following season he netted a personal record of 25 goals to help his side earn a runner-up position in the league and the team won the 1934 Cupa României final, Dobay playing in both victories with "U" Cluj, scoring three goals. In the 1934–35 season he won another title, coaches Josef Uridil and Rudolf Wetzer giving him 22 appearances in which he netted 24 goals, also the team reached the Cupa României final where he scored once in the 6–5 loss to CFR București. Next season, Dobay helped Ripensia win The Double, being given 21 appearances by coaches Wetzer and Konrád, scoring 12 times, also opening the score in the 5–1 win over Unirea Tricolor București from the Cupa României final. In the following Cupa României edition, the team reached another final in which he netted his side's goal in the 5–1 loss to Rapid București. In the 1937–38 season, Ripensia won another title, coach Sepp Pojar using him in 28 matches in which he scored eight times. Afterwards he closed the score after receiving an assist from Gheorghe Ciolac in Ripensia's 3–0 win over AC Milan from the first leg from the first round of the 1938 Mitropa Cup, helping the team get past the Italians.

In 1940 he switched teams, going at Nemzeti Bajnokság II club, Kolozsvári AC. After one year he went at Törekvés SE in the same league, helping it earn first place. In 1945, Dobay went as a player-coach at newly founded club, CSM Mediaș, helping it earn promotion to the first league two years later. Afterwards he made his last Divizia A appearance on 11 April 1948 in Mediaș's 3–0 away loss to ASA București.

International career

Dobay played 41 matches and scored 19 goals for Romania, making his debut on 25 May 1930 under coach Constantin Rădulescu in a 8–1 home victory against Greece at the successful 1929–31 Balkan Cup. He was taken in consideration to be a member of Romania's squad that went at the 1930 World Cup but eventually was left home. Dobay won his second Balkan Cup in 1933 when he netted four goals, a brace in a 7–0 over Bulgaria, the only goal in a win over Greece and one goal in a 5–0 against Yugoslavia, being the top-scorer of the competition alongside teammate Gheorghe Ciolac.

Dobay scored two goals at the successful 1934 World Cup qualifiers, the first in a 2–2 draw against Switzerland and the second in a 2–1 home win over Yugoslavia. Afterwards he was selected by coaches Rădulescu and Josef Uridil to be part of the squad that went at the final tournament in Italy, scoring his side's goal in the 2–1 defeat to eventual finalists, Czechoslovakia from the first round. After the game, goalkeeper František Plánička said:"If Romania had another player like Dobay I would have had to split myself in two."

He won his third Balkan Cup in 1936, contributing with two goals netted two victories against Greece and Bulgaria. He was selected by coaches Săvulescu and Rădulescu to be part of the squad that participated at the 1938 World Cup. Dobay scored once in each game against Cuba, the first one being a 3–3 draw, followed by a surprisingly 2–1 loss in the replay. On 11 June 1939 he made his last appearance for ''The Tricolours'' in a friendly which ended with a 1–0 home loss to Italy.

International goals

:''Romania score listed first, score column indicates score after each Dobay goal.''

Managerial career

In 1945, Dobay went as a player-coach at newly founded club, CSM Mediaș, helping it earn promotion to the first league two years later. Afterwards, at the end of the 1947–48 season, he managed to keep Mediaș in Divizia A.

In 1948 he went to work at CFR Constanța, one year later going at Dezrobirea and then at Farul. In the early 1950s he had three spells at Locomotiva Târgu Mureș, made a comeback at Mediaș in the second league with whom he reached the 1951 Cupa României final which was lost with 3–1 to CCA București and he had a short spell at Dinamo Orașul Stalin. Dobay also coached Romania's national team, making his debut in a 1–0 home loss to Czechoslovakia at the 1954 World Cup qualifiers. He then led ''The Tricolours'' in two friendly games, a victory against East Germany and a loss to rivals Hungary.

He went at CCA București with whom together with Ilie Savu he won the 1955 Cupa României after a 6–3 victory against Progresul Oradea. In the following season he led ''The Military Men'' to the winning of the 1956 championship. In 1957 he worked at CFR Cluj in Divizia B.

Style of play

Dobay was known for his powerful shot, Juventus București captain, Coloman Braun-Bogdan described an incident in a game with Ripensia that took place in the 1935–36 season:"In the 8th minute, Ghiță Ciolac opened the lane for Dobay, and ''The Horse'' took off at a gallop! Then, after getting past Nicky Petrescu, from about 10 meters he sent his shot towards Enderffi's goal. Well, my dears, that shot was not a shot, but a real thunderbolt! The ball broke the net of the goal and went out. I can tell you with my hand on my heart that in my entire life I have never seen such a powerful shot. The ball went like a cannonball and I think it would have knocked anyone who would have met it on the way to the ground. The stands started applauding frantically." During those times, there were rumors that his powerful shots killed animals or goalkeepers, Dobay replying:"I made football an art. And through my art I wanted to convey a piece of beauty to people. Dobay laid many defenders to the ground with his powerful shot, he also tore goal nets, probably a bit rotten, but he never even killed a sparrow, let alone a monkey or a goalkeeper." In a 1966 interview with journalist Ioan Chirilă he said:"I would launch like a slingshot without looking back – I knew that Șubi ( Schwartz) would make a couple of feints to simulate a pass to the opposite side and I would suddenly find myself with the ball in front of me, but such a perfect ball, on the stride! Once I received the ball, I would speed down towards the goal. I was never too technical. I was not good at finesse. I knew one thing: throw the ball sideways, and bypass the opponent economically, on a tangent, then hit it all at speed."

Death

Dobay died on 7 April 1994 in Târgu Mureș at age 84.

Legacy

A stadium in his native Dumbrăvița is named after him.

Honours

Player

Ripensia Timișoara
*Divizia A: 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1937–38, runner-up 1933–34, 1938–39
*Cupa României: 1933–34, 1935–36, runner-up 1934–35, 1936–37
Romania
*Balkan Cup: 1929–31, 1933, 1936
Törekvés SE
*Nemzeti Bajnokság II: 1941–42

Individual

*Divizia A top-scorer: 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1936–37

Manager

Flacăra Mediaș
*Cupa României runner-up: 1951
CCA București
*Divizia A: 1956
*Cupa României: 1955

Notes

References

Selected publications

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobay, Stefan
1909 births
1994 deaths
Romanian men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Liga I players
Liga II players
Banatul Timișoara players
FC Ripensia Timișoara players
CS Gaz Metan Mediaș players
FCSB managers
Romania men's international footballers
Romanian football managers
CS Gaz Metan Mediaș managers
FC UTA Arad managers
CFR Cluj managers
FCV Farul Constanța managers
Romania national football team managers
1934 FIFA World Cup players
1938 FIFA World Cup players
Romanian sportspeople of Hungarian descent
Footballers from Timiș County
20th-century Romanian sportsmen
Romanian writers
Romanian male writers
20th-century Romanian writers
20th-century Romanian male writers