Football: Hungary’s Most Loved Sport 

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Hungary has a long and glorious history in football, but also a long and painful decline. However, they have shown signs of resurgence and hope in recent years, qualifying for two consecutive Euros and playing with courage and flair. They have a young and talented team that can grow and improve in the future. In this article, we will look at the past, present, and future of football in Hungary. 

The Golden Age of Hungarian Football 

The golden age of Hungarian football was from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s when the national team was called the “Golden Team” or the “Magical Magyars“. The team was led by one of the best players ever, Ferenc Puskás, who scored 84 goals in 85 international games. Puskás was joined by other legendary players like Sándor Kocsis, Nándor Hidegkuti, Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik, and Gyula Grosics. 

The Golden Team changed the game with their new tactics and style of play, which inspired the later development of Total Football. They played with a flexible formation that let players switch positions and roles depending on the situation. They also used short passes, quick movements, and high pressing to control the ball and create chances. 

 The Golden Team achieved amazing results on the international stage, winning the gold medal at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki and finishing second at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. They also beat England twice in historic matches: 6–3 at Wembley Stadium in 1953, which was England’s first home loss to a non-British team; and 7–1 in Budapest in 1954, which is still England’s worst loss ever. 

The Golden Team had an unbeaten streak of 31 games between 1950 and 1954, which is one of the longest in football history. They also reached the highest Elo rating ever recorded by a national team: 2230 in June 1954. 

The Decline of Hungarian Football 

The decline of Hungarian football started after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, which made several key players leave the country or defect to other teams. Puskás played for Hungary until 1956 but then moved to Spain and joined Real Madrid. Czibor and Kocsis also left Hungary and played for Barcelona. The political chaos and repression also hurt the development of football in Hungary, as many clubs were shut down or renamed by the communist regime. 

Hungary still managed to qualify for some major tournaments in the next decades but never reached the same level of success as before. Their best results were finishing third at the 1964 European Championship and fourth at the 1966 World Cup. They also qualified for Euro 1972 but did not get out of their group. Their last appearance at a World Cup was in 1986 when they came last in their group. 

Hungary also had trouble producing world-class players after the golden generation retired. Some notable exceptions were Flórián Albert, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1967; László Kubala, who played for Barcelona and Spain; and Lajos Détári, who starred for Olympiacos and Eintracht Frankfurt. 

Hungary hit rock bottom in the 1990s and early 2000s when they failed to qualify for any major tournament and reached their lowest FIFA ranking: 87th in July 1996. They also suffered some embarrassing defeats like losing 8–1 to the Netherlands in 2013.  

The Resurgence of Hungarian Football 

The resurgence of Hungarian football began in the mid-2010s when they qualified for their first European Championship since 1972. They did so by finishing fourth in their qualifying group but making it through the playoffs by beating Bulgaria and Iceland. At Euro 2016 in France, they shocked many by topping their group ahead of Portugal, Iceland, and Austria. They made it to the round of 16 where they lost to Belgium.