Sports / Feature and Column
Hungarian soccer legend Ferenc Puskas lays in honor in St. Stephen's B
(AP)
Updated: 2006-12-08 11:21
BUDAPEST, Hungary _ Hungary's president and prime minister were among
thousands paying their last respects Thursday to soccer legend Ferenc
Puskas, who was lying in honor in St. Stephen's Basilica.
Puskas died November 17 at age 79 after being hospitalized for six years
with Alzheimer's disease.
President Laszlo Solyom was the first to lay a wreath at the foot of
Puskas' coffin, as a guard of honor stood by beneath the basilica's grand
dome.
Puskas, who captained Hungary's national team in the 1950's and later won
three European Cup titles with Real Madrid, was considered one of the
best players of all time, scoring more than 600 career goals between 1943
and 1966.
The stocky, left-footed forward guided the "Magical Magyars" to an
Olympic gold medal in 1952 and to the final of the 1954 World Cup, where
they lost to West Germany.
State and government authorities, as well as officials from Hungary's
soccer federation and Honved _ the only Hungarian club team Puskas ever
played for _ filed past Puskas' remains before the basilica's gates were
opened to the public.
After laying a single flower near the casket, the face of Sandor Kecskes,
83, lit up as he spoke about "Ocsi" or "little brother," as Puskas was
affectionately called in Hungary.
"I didn't miss one of his matches. I went to see all of them, every
single one possible. To me he meant my youth," Kecskes said. "This is a
big loss for Hungary. Even at this age I have lost my youth through his
death. Puskas was a benchmark for this country."
Others remembered Hungary's most famous victory with Puskas, 1953's 6-3
win at Wembley Stadium that made Hungary the first non-British team to
win at England.
"I remember the 1953 game, the victory," said Hilda Hamori, 89, after
reciting a silent prayer for Puskas. Moving by the casket, she pulled out
a small camera from her purse and took a last image of "the idol of
youth."
Goalkeeper Gyula Grosics and defender Jeno Buzanszky, the last surviving
members of the "Golden Team," were swarmed by dozens of fans as they
exited the basilica after placing a bouquet of white roses in front of
the casket covered by a Hungarian flag.
"When we played, we were interested not just in the result but also in
entertaining the people," Grosics said.
Florian Albert, the 1967 European Player of the Year and Hungary's best
player after the Puskas era, was among many Hungarian sports figures
paying their respects to the "Galloping Major," a nickname reflecting his
army rank.
Puskas was often called "the most famous Hungarian," even though
Hungary's communist regime for years sponsored a smear campaign against
the star who defected to Spain after Hungary's 1956 revolution was
crushed by the Soviets.
The dictatorial regime was partially successful, as Puskas and other
players who stayed in the West were banned by FIFA from playing _ or even
training _ with any team in the world for almost two years.
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