János Biri (21 July 1901 – 29 March 1983) was a Hungarian footballer and coach. Biri played as a goalkeeper for a number of clubs, most notably Padova and MTK Budapest FC, also representing

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

in the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

. He is best known for his coaching career in Portugal which spanned more than three decades.

Career

Born in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, Biri career in football started in a hometown club, Kispest AC at the age of 19. His performances earned him a place in the

squad for the

. In 1925, he moved to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, representing Padova in the early days of what was to known as

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

. After two seasons in Italy, he returned to

, passing through several teams, without much success, having short spells in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, retiring in 1936, at age 35. Shortly after, Biri started coaching

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

, winning Campeonato de Porto and coming runner-up in

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

in his only season there. After a brief spell with Académico Porto, he was then hired by Benfica's President, Augusto da Fonseca Jr. In the eight seasons he spent there, he successfully challenged Sporting dominance, claiming 3

titles and 3

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...

. He held the record for most games managed and won, for over 75 years, until Jorge Jesus surpassed him in 2014. However, he still has the highest winning percentage of any other coach with at least 100 games and the second longest reign with 8 years, after Cosme Damião. After Benfica, János managed eleven other teams, retiring as coach in 1966, after more than 30 years in managerial roles.

Managerial Record

Honours

;Porto *Campeonato do

: 1935–36 ;Benfica *

: 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45 *

: 1939–40, 1942–43, 1943–44 * Campeonato de Lisboa: 1939–40

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Biri, Janos 1901 births 1983 deaths Men's association football goalkeepers Hungarian men's footballers Budapest Honvéd FC players Calcio Padova players MTK Budapest FC players Amiens SC players Boavista F.C. players Hungarian football managers Hungarian expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Portugal Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal FC Porto managers S.L. Benfica managers G.D. Estoril Praia managers Atlético Clube de Portugal managers Vitória S.C. managers Vitória F.C. managers S.C. Lusitânia managers Académica de Coimbra (football) managers Hungary men's international footballers Footballers at the 1924 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Hungary Footballers from Budapest 20th-century Hungarian sportsmen