Best Hungarian players of all time

Considering that almost all of these heroes have been a part of the national team at least once in their lifetimes let us first read about the Hungarian national team before we get to

ranking the

best Hungary soccer stars of all time

.

The Hungarian Football Federation controls the Hungary national football team, which represents Hungary in men's international football. The squad has been in nine FIFA World Cup finals and four European Championship finals, and they play their home games in the Puskás Aréna, which opens in November 2019.

Hungary has a strong football history, having won three Olympic medals, finished second in the World Cups of 1938 and 1954, and finished third in the UEFA European Football Championship of 1964.

In the 1950s, Hungary revolutionized the sport by laying the tactical foundations of Total Football and dominating international football with the legendary Golden Team, which included legend Ferenc Puskás, one of the greatest goal scorers of the twentieth century, to whom FIFA has dedicated its newest award, the Puskás Award.

The team of that period has the all-time highest Football Elo Ranking in the world, with 2230 in 1954, as well as one of the longest undefeated streaks in football history, having gone undefeated in 31 games over four years, including the much-publicized Match of the Century.

From their elimination at the 1986 World Cup to failing to qualify for a major tournament for 30 years and reaching their lowest FIFA ranking (87) in 1996, as well as finishing sixth in their group of Euro 2008 qualifiers, the Hungarian team endured a long drought before qualifying for Euro 2016, Euro 2020, and promotion to UEFA Nations League A in 2022–23.

Best Hungarian players of all time ranked based on performance

In the best Hungarian soccer players of all time article, we will rank the best players which have played under the Hungarian flag. The factor by which we will rank these athletes would be their performance and the quality of their service to their country and nation.

Now, stay with us as we meet

the 10 best Hungarian footballers of all time

.

György Sárosi

First in the queue of Hungary's all time greatest squad is the versatile and speedy player of Hungary, Gyorgy Sarosi. György Sárosi was a footballer from Hungary. Sárosi was a complete player who played for Ferencváros and the Hungarian national team, and he was known for his versatility and skill, among other things.

Between 1932 and 1941, he helped Ferencváros win five Hungarian league championships as a second striker who could also play in midfield or center defense. He is regarded as one of the most important players of the prewar period. 

He scored a goal in the 1934 FIFA World Cup, but his best performance came when he led Hungary to the 1938 FIFA World Cup finals, where he scored five goals, including one in the final to cut Italy's advantage to 3–2, however, the

were finally defeated by a Silvio Piola goal. He was awarded the bronze ball for scoring the third-most goals in the competition.

In the IFFHS' Century Elections, he was chosen the 60th European Player of the Century. He's also seventh on the Hungarian national team's all time goalscorers list, with 42 goals in 62 games.

He relocated to Italy after retiring and coached a variety of teams, including Genoa, Juventus, Bari, and Roma. He was also Lugano's manager. The hero of

Hungary's all time greatest squad

died in 1993 at the age of 80.

Ferenc Bene

The next player of the

best Hungarian soccer players of all time

is probably one of the few who we don’t know much about but will try to share what we do know about him.

Ferenc Bene was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ujpesti Dozsa and was a part of the 1964 Summer Olympics gold-medal winning squad in Tokyo, Japan. He was the tournament's best scorer as a striker (12 goals in 5 matches).

Bene was born in the Balatonujlak region of Hungary. On 14 October 1962, he made his international debut against Yugoslavia, and on 12 September 1979, he made his last appearance against Czechoslovakia.

He earned 76 caps and scored 36 goals in his career. He was a quarter-finalist in the World Cup in 1966 and a bronze medalist at the

(at the latter event he was the top scorer of the Hungarian national team). In 1964 and 1969, Bene was selected Hungarian Footballer of the Year. After a protracted therapy after a fall at the end of 2005, he died in Budapest.

The legacy of this candidate of Hungary's all time greatest squad continues by his son. Ferenc Bene jr., his son, is also a former player who now works as a coach.

Gyula Grosics

Let see if we were right to put Gyula this far down in the list of 10 best Hungarian footballers of all time or there are really better athletes than him in the list.

Gyula Grosics was born in Dorog, Hungary, on February 4, 1926.

His mother urged him to become a priest as he grew up. Instead, Grosics started his professional football career at Dorog in 1943, when he joined Dorogi Bányász. He briefly fought for the Axis during World War II before being captured by American troops.

Grosics is credited with inventing the "sweeper-keeper" style of play, in which the goalie may fill in for an injured defender. Grosics' desire to come out and engage opposing attackers led them to miss shots on goal, allowing his teammates to push deep in their opponents' half.

Gyula Grosics was a member of Hungary's "Golden Team" in the 1950s and played 86 times for the national team. He was supposed to be the first goalie to play as a sweeper-keeper.

He is regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers of all time. Because he donned black attire while playing, Grosics was dubbed "Black Panther" (Hungarian: Fekete Párduc). At the 1952 Summer Olympics, he earned a gold medal in football.

Zoltan Gera

Probably the youngest athlete on the list of 10 best Hungarian footballers of all time who is only 42 years old but deserves to be called a legend.

Zoltán Gera is a former professional footballer from Hungary who specialized in attacking midfield. He played for Fulham, Pécsi Mecsek, and Harkány SE, as well as Ferencváros and West Bromwich Albion on two occasions.

Gera is noted for his overhead kick goals and cartwheel to backflip celebrations, which he exhibited in Fulham's Europa League quarter-final victory against

in 2010.

In 2002, 2004, and 2005, he was awarded Hungarian Player of the Year. Gera was voted Fulham's Player of the Season for his performances in the 2009–10 season, as well as his goals in the Europa League.

Gera made his international debut for Hungary against

in 2002, a 2–1 defeat for his country. Gera left the national team for a short time in 2009 after a disagreement with then-manager Erwin Koeman.

When Sándor Egervári took over as Koeman's replacement in 2010, Gera rejoined Hungary's national team, which he subsequently represented at the 2016 UEFA European Championship. On June 28, 2018, he declared his final retirement from football.

Florian Albert

Before we get to the top 5 there is one more athlete who fell short in making it to the top 5 while we were ranking the best Hungary soccer stars of all time.

Albert, the son of a blacksmith, was born and raised in the little hamlet of Hercegszántó in the former Yugoslavia, where he first learned to play the game with his two brothers.

His mother was a Hungarian Croat from the Sokci ethnic group. She died when he was two years old. Albert took part in a Ferencvárosi TC talent day after the family relocated to Budapest. He made an impression on the coaches and was chosen by the club. At the time, Albert was 11 years old.

Flórián Albert was a professional football player, manager, and official who won the European Footballer of the Year award in 1967. He was known as "The Emperor" and was a forward who was regarded as one of the most graceful players of all time.

Albert joined Ferencvárosi TC as a schoolboy and stayed with the Club for the rest of his playing career. He also made a name for himself as a member of the Hungarian national team, earning 75 caps and scoring 31 goals.

With four goals, he was an equal top scorer in the 1962 World Cup, and he was instrumental in Hungary's third-place performance at the 1964 European Championship.

After his retirement, he remained faithful to Ferencváros, actively participating in the club's activity and holding administrative posts. Since 2007, Ferencváros' stadium has been named after him.

Albert died at a Budapest hospital in October 2011, at the age of 70, after complications from heart surgery a few days before.

Now let us move into the top 5 of the best Hungarian soccer players of all time.

Nandor Hidegkuti

The starter of the top 5 of the best Hungarian soccer players of all time is Nandor Hidgkuti. Who is he? Well, let us answer that question immediately.

Nándor Hidegkuti was a football player and manager from Hungary. He spent the most of his playing career at MTK Hungária FC as a striker or offensive midfielder. He was also a crucial component of the Golden Team of the Hungarian National Team in the 1950s.

Ferenc Puskás, Zoltan Czibor, Sandor Kocsis, and Jozsef Bozsik were also on the squad. He scored a hat-trick for Hungary against England 6–3 at Wembley Stadium in 1953, while playing as a deep-lying centre-forward. Hidegkuti was able to transfer the ball to the other attackers and confuse the defenses by playing from deep.

This was a groundbreaking idea at the time, and it completely changed the way the game was played.

This the best Hungarian soccer players of all time candidate died on February 14, 2002, after a long period of suffering from heart and lung ailments. In his honor, MTK Hungária FC renamed their stadium Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium.

Jozsef Bozsik

While ranking the best Hungary soccer stars of all time, we came across a player, such of whom has never been seen before.

József Bozsik was born in Kispest, Hungary, which is now a part of Budapest. His grandmother gave him the nickname "Cucu," and he grew up playing football with his closest friend and neighbor

on the local football fields in Kispest.

Bozsik was regarded as one of the finest offensive half-backs in the world at his peak, with superb skill, flair, tactical intelligence, passing accuracy, and inventiveness, despite his lack of speed. His tackling abilities came in handy when he was employed as a deep-lying playmaker. He is regarded as one of Hungary's finest players.

Bozsik received several awards during his career and was even elected to Parliament. He returned to his former club after retirement and became a member of the board of directors. Between January 1966 and September 1967, he also managed the squad for 47 matches before returning to his seat on the board.

He was selected to coach the Hungarian national team in 1974, but sickness caused him to retire shortly after.

Jozsef Bozsik died of heart failure at the age of 52 in Budapest. He was posthumously awarded a Freeman of Kispest.

Laszlo Kubala 

Starting the top 3 of the best Hungarian soccer players of all time with Laszlo Kubala.

Among other teams, he played forward for Ferencváros, Slovan Bratislava, Barcelona, and Espanyol. Kubala is a hero of FC Barcelona and is regarded as one of the finest players in history. He was born in Hungary, but he also had Czechoslovak and Spanish citizenship, and he represented all three nations' national teams.

Kubala was known for his nimble dribbling, controlled and powerful finishing, and free-kick accuracy. He was a key player of Barcelona's great squad in the 1950s, scoring 280 goals in 345 matches.

Kubala was voted the finest player ever to play for the Spanish club during the club's centennial celebrations in 1999. He coached both Spain's senior national team and Olympic squad after retiring as a player. He also coached both Spain's senior national team and the Olympic team.

Let us proceed and meet the top two of

the best Hungarian soccer players of all time

list.

Sandor Kocsis

Just one more left before we meet the top man of

the best Hungarian soccer players of all time

.

Sándor Péter Kocsis, a striker, was a Hungarian footballer who played for

, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona, and Hungary.

He migrated to Spain after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and became a part of the

of the late 1950s.

Kocsis scored a lot of goals for Budapest Honved and Hungary. In both 1952 and 1954, he was the highest goalscorer in any European league while playing for Honved. With 11 goals at the 1954 World Cup, Kocsis set a new World Cup record for most goals in a single tournament.

He was also the only player in World Cup history to score two hat tricks. In the World Cup finals, his 2.2 goal/game average is second only to Ernst Wilimowski (Poland), who scored four goals in his single appearance.

Only Just Fontaine has scored more goals in a single World Cup than Kocsis. With 125 goals scored in national team matches at all levels, he is the most prolific striker in history, according to the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF).

His 1.103 goals per game average lead all players with more than 43 caps in FIFA class-A competition, closely followed by Gerd Müller's 1.097 goals per game average (68 goals in 62 games).

They are the only two players in history to have an average of more than +1.0 goals per game in over 43 international appearances. Ferenc Puskás is presently placed the third with 99 goals per game (84 goals in 85 games).

Ferenc Puskás

Now we have reached the end of the article, where we shall meet the top man of the best Hungarian soccer players of all time.

Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian footballer and manager who is largely recognized as one of the sport's best players, the greatest striker of all time, and its first worldwide celebrity. He was a striker who scored 84 goals in 85 international appearances for Hungary, four international matches for Spain, and 514 goals in 529 league matches in Hungary and Spain.

The IFFHS named him the best top division scorer of the twentieth century in 1995. He is the fourth best striker of all time, having scored 806 goals in 793 official games.

He was a key member and captain of the Hungarian national team, known as the Mighty Magyars, in the 1950s. He moved to Spain in 1958, two years after the Hungarian Revolution, and played for

. Puskás won four Pichichis with Real Madrid and scored seven goals in two European Champions Cup finals.

In his honor, Budapest's Népstadion was renamed the Puskás Ferenc Stadion in 2002. In November 2003, the Hungarian Football Federation named him the finest Hungarian player of the previous 50 years at the UEFA Jubilee Awards.

FIFA established the FIFA Puskás Award in October 2009, which would be given to the player who has scored the "most beautiful goal" in the previous year.

included him in his FIFA 100 list.

Thank you for reading The Best Hungarian Soccer Players of All Time article. We will also appreciate it if you share this article with friends or family members so they can learn more about these legendary athletes.

Read more

Follow 

 for the