Zoltán Halmosi (28 July 1947 – 4 January 2025) was a Hungarian footballer. He played as

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for Haladás in his entire professional career, achieving runners-up in the

1974–75 Magyar Kupa The 1974–75 Magyar Kupa (English: ''Hungarian Cup'') was the 35th season of Hungary's annual knock-out cup football competition. Final See also * 1974–75 Nemzeti Bajnokság I References External links Official site soccerway.com
...

. He also 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 ...

internationally, playing in the 1970 FIFA World qualifiers. He is also the father of Hungarian international

Péter Halmosi Péter Halmosi (; born 25 September 1979) is a Hungarian retired professional footballer who played as a midfielder. At international level, he won 35 caps for his country. His previous clubs include Szombathelyi Haladás, Grazer AK, Debrecen, ...

Club career

Halmosi was born to a modest family until he lost his father at an early age. From 1961, he had studied to become a welder at

Szombathely } Szombathely (; ; also see #Etymology, names) is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas County in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria. Szombathely lies by the streams ''Perint'' and '' ...

but would find immense success in the world of football as he would be accepted in the youth ranks of Haladás at the age of 16. He later make his senior debut on June 20, 1965 in a match against VT Vasas before later making his debut in the 1967 Nemzeti Bajnokság I. He was later briefly suspended in the summer of 1972 for three years after kicking the sidline marker in the rear. He went on to make 306 appearances and score 19 goals from 1967 to 1981. He would also discover the talents of József Nagy and designate him as his successor. Following this, he played in amateur football as a

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

for several clubs in Austria from 1982 to 1989 including , Rechnitz, Zuberbach and .

International career

Between 1969 and 1974, he represented

on 11 occasions. Most of his appearances were

friendlies An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...

however he participated in the 1970 FIFA World qualifiers as well as the UEFA Euro 1976 qualifiers, during which he would score a goal against

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

in the former on 5 November 1969 in a 4–0 victory as Hungary would narrowly avoid qualification for the tournament.

Personal life

Halmosi later married Hungarian international cross-country runner Rozália Séfer and later had two children with her: Zoltán Halmosi Jr. and

. His sons later became footballers after their Zoltán had suggested the career for them, giving the two advice on how to play until his death with all three making the Magyar Kupa final with Haladás throughout their careers. He was described by Péter as being pure-hearted, honest and modest due to how his mother had raised him. He was also a popular figure within

as his reputation and charisma would be a source of prestige for his family as he would become an idol of Haladás due to his career. On Teacher's Day 1997, he received the title of Honorary Member of Hungarian Sports from the OTSH as a member of the youth committee of the Vas County Football Association for his career both as a player and as a player-coach. Halmosi died on 4 January 2025 at the age of 77 after suffering from an undisclosed illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halmosi, Zoltán 1947 births 2025 deaths Footballers from Szombathely Hungarian men's footballers Hungary men's international footballers Men's association football midfielders Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Nemzeti Bajnokság II players Szombathelyi Haladás footballers Hungarian expatriate men's footballers Hungarian expatriate sportspeople in Austria Expatriate men's footballers in Austria 20th-century Hungarian sportsmen