József Bozsik (; 28 November 1925 – 31 May 1978) was a Hungarian footballer who played as a central midfielder. He spent his entire club career at his hometown club, Budapest Honvéd. Bozsik was a key member of the legendary Golden Team as he represented

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 various international tournaments. Honvéd named their stadium, Bozsik József Stadion, after him.

Early life

József Bozsik was born in Kispest, now a district of

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 ...

. Given the nickname "Cucu" by his grandmother, he grew up playing football on the local football grounds in Kispest with his best friend and neighbour Ferenc Puskás.

Playing career

As an 11-year-old, Bozsik attracted the attention of Budapest Honvéd and the club signed him to the youth team. In 1943, he made his debut for the first team against Vasas SC. He made his debut for

at the age of 21 against

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

on 17 August 1947 and went on to win 101 caps and score 11 goals by the time he last played for the national side on 18 April 1962 against

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

. He remained the most capped Hungarian player until 2016, when his record was broken by goalkeeper Gábor Király. Bozsik won the Olympic gold medal with his country in 1952 in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

and finished second with the Hungarian team in the

1954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the 5th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football tournament for senior men's national teams of the nations affiliated to FIFA. It was held in Switzerland from 16 June ...

. He also took part in Hungary's famous 6–3 win over

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

at Wembley and the team's 7–1 win over England in Budapest. In 1956–57, Bozsik returned from Honvéd's winter tour to play in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. A year later, he won the Mitropa Cup with Honvéd. In all, he played 477 top-level games for KAC (and its legal successor BHSE) and scored 33 goals.

Style of play

In his prime, Bozsik was considered one of the best attacking half-backs in the world, possessing good technique, flair, tactical nous, passing accuracy and creativity, although he suffered from a lack of pace. He was often used as a deep lying playmaker where his tackling ability was also helpful. He is considered one of the greatest Hungarian footballers.Europe's best Player of the Century
– IFFHS

Post-playing career

Throughout his career, Bozsik won many honours and was even made a Member of Parliament. After his retirement, he became a member of the board at his old club. He also managed the team for 47 matches between January 1966 and September 1967, after which he returned to his position on the board. In 1974, he was chosen to manage the Hungarian national team, but illness forced him to resign soon after he got the job.

Death

József Bozsik died in Budapest, aged 52, due to heart failure. He was made a Freeman of Kispest posthumously.

Honours

Budapest Honvéd * Hungarian League: 1949–50, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955 Hungary * Olympic Champions: 1952 * FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1954 Individual * Hungarian Football Federation Player of the Year: 1952 * FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1954 * Ballon d'Or: 6th place

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

References

External links

József Bozsik – Century of International Appearances
– RSSSF. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bozsik, Jozsef 1925 births 1978 deaths Footballers from Budapest Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1949–1953) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1953–1958) Hungarian men's footballers Hungary men's international footballers Budapest Honvéd FC players Budapest Honvéd FC managers Men's association football midfielders Footballers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Hungary Olympic gold medalists for Hungary Hungarian football managers 1954 FIFA World Cup players 1958 FIFA World Cup players Hungary national football team managers FIFA Men's Century Club Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Burials at Farkasréti Cemetery 20th-century Hungarian sportsmen