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Nándor Hidegkuti

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The native form of this personal name is Hidegkuti Nándor. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Nándor Hidegkuti
Hidegkuti in 1965
Personal information
Date of birth (1922-03-03)3 March 1922
Place of birth Budapest, Hungary
Date of death 14 February 2002(2002-02-14) (aged 79)
Place of death Budapest, Hungary
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Forward, attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1942–1945 Elektromos FC 53 (27)
1945–1946 Herminamezei AC
1946–1958 MTK Hungária[i] 314 (226)
Total 367 (253)
International career
1945–1958 Hungary 69 (39)
Managerial career
1959–1960 MTK Hungária FC
1960–1962 ACF Fiorentina
1962–1963 A.C. Mantova
1963–1965 Győri ETO FC
1966 FC Tatabánya
1967–1968 MTK Hungária FC
1968–1971 Budapest Spartacus
1972 Stal Rzeszów
1973 Egri Dózsa
1973–1980 Al Ahly
1983–1985 Shabab Al Ahli
Medal record
Representing  Hungary
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 1954 Switzerland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nándor Hidegkuti (3 March 1922 – 14 February 2002) was a Hungarian football player and manager.[1] He played as a forward or attacking midfielder and spent the majority of his playing career at MTK Hungária FC. During the 1950s he was also a key member of the Hungary national team team known as the Golden Team. Other members of the team included Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis and József Bozsik. In 1953, playing as a deep lying centre-forward, a position which has retroactively been compared to the modern false 9 role,[2][3] he scored a hat-trick for Hungary when they beat England 6–3 at Wembley Stadium. Playing from deep, Hidegkuti was able to distribute the ball to the other attackers and cause considerable confusion to defences. This was an innovation at the time and revolutionised the way the game was played.

Hidegkuti died on 14 February 2002 after suffering from heart and lung problems for some time before his death. MTK Hungária FC renamed their stadium, Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium, in his honour.

Club career

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Hidegkuti started his career in Elektromos FC and Herminamezei AC.

MTK Budapest

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Hidegkuti began playing for MTK in 1947. In 1949 when Hungary became a communist state, MTK were taken over by the secret police, the ÁVH and subsequently the club changed their name several times. Initially they became Textiles SE, then Bástya SE, then Vörös Lobogó SE and then finally back to MTK. Despite this turmoil, the 1950s proved a successful era for club and it was while at MTK that Hidegkuti, together with Péter Palotás and coach Márton Bukovi, pioneered the deep lying centre-forward position. With a team that also included Mihály Lantos and József Zakariás, MTK and Hidegkuti won three Hungarian League titles, a Hungarian Cup and a Mitropa Cup. In 1955, as Vörös Lobogó SE, they also played in the first ever European Cup. Hidegkuti scored twice as they beat RSC Anderlecht 10–4 on aggregate in the first round. After retiring as a player, Hidegkuti also had two spells as a coach at MTK.

International career

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Hidegkuti and Ferenc Puskás in 1954.

Between 1945 and 1958 Hidegkuti earned 69 appearances and scored 39 goals for Hungary. He scored twice on his debut on 30 September 1945 in a 7–2 win against Romania. Two years later, on 17 August 1947, he made his second international appearance and scored a hat-trick against Bulgaria. On 18 November 1951 he scored another hat trick against Finland. He became a central player in the Golden Team of the early and mid-1950s; during this time, Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis and Hidegkuti provided the Hungarians a total of 198 goals.

Hidegkuti was used by the Golden Team as a deep lying centre-forward. In the 1950s, the majority of international sides still used the WM formation, where the defending centre half would traditionally mark the opposition's centre forward – usually whoever was wearing the number 9 shirt. When a defending centre half attempted to mark Hidegkuti, they were drawn out of position, allowing the rest of the Hungarian team to exploit the space. At the time this was a revolutionary tactic, requiring the player in the deep lying centre-forward position to have excellent ball control, distribution skills and positional awareness.

Former England and Leeds United manager, Don Revie paid tribute to the influence of Hidegkuti in his autobiography: "In the summer of 1954 England and Scotland were knocked out of the World Cup series in Switzerland. That competition was won by Germany, but dominated by Hungary, who played with a deep-lying centre forward, Nandor Hidegkuti. Alongside him; Sandor Koscis and Ferenc Puskas, two of the greatest inside-forwards in the world. But whatever people claim of Koscis and Puskas, it was the man Hidegkuti who tore the England defence to shreds at Wembley in November 1953. It was Hidegkuti, again playing his hide-and-seek centre-forward game, who shattered England in the return match in Budapest in May 1954, when we were thrashed 7–1."[4] Sepp Herberger, manager of the West German team that would defeat Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final, identified Hidegkuti as the most important player in the Hungarian team (despite Puskas drawing a lot more public attention) and adjusted his tactics for the final to prevent him from playing out his game.

International goals

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Scores and results list Hungarys's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hidegkuti goal.
List of international goals scored by Nándor Hidegkuti
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 30 September 1945 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Romania 1-0 7-2 Friendly [5]
2 7-2
3 17 August 1947 Üllői úti Stadion, Budapest, Hungary  Bulgaria 5-0 9-0 1947 Balkan Cup [6]
4 6-0
5 9-0
6 19 September 1948 Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland  Poland 2-0 6-2 1948 Balkan Cup [7]
7 6-2
8 18 November 1951 Megyeri úti Stadion, Budapest, Hungary  Finland 1-0 8-0 Friendly [8]
9 3-0
10 8-0
11 18 May 1952 Üllői úti Stadion, Budapest, Hungary  East Germany 1-0 5-0 Friendly [9]
12 4-0
13 15 June 1952 Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw, Poland  Poland 3-0 5-1 Friendly [10]
14 28 July 1952 Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland  Sweden 5-0 6-0 1952 Summer Olympics [11]
15 20 September 1952 Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland   Switzerland 4-2 4-2 1948–53 Central European International Cup [12]
16 19 October 1952 Megyeri úti Stadion, Budapest, Hungary  Czechoslovakia 1-0 5-0 Friendly [13]
17 17 May 1953 Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy  Italy 1-0 3-0 1948–53 Central European International Cup [14]
18 5 July 1953 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden  Sweden 4-2 4-2 Friendly [15]
19 4 October 1953 Great Strahov Stadium, Prague, Czechoslovakia  Czechoslovakia 2-0 5-1 Friendly [16]
20 11 October 1953 Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria  Austria 2-1 3-2 Friendly [17]
21 3-1
22 25 November 1953 Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom  England 1-0 6-3 Friendly [18]
23 2-1
24 6-2
25 12 February 1954 Prince Farouk Stadium, Cairo, Egypt  Egypt 3-0 3-0 Friendly [19]
26 23 May 1954 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  England 6-0 7-1 Friendly [20]
27 20 June 1954 St. Jakob Stadium, Basel, Switzerland  West Germany 4-1 8-3 1954 FIFA World Cup [21]
28 5-1
29 27 June 1954 Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland  Brazil 1-0 4-2 1954 FIFA World Cup [22]
30 30 June 1954 Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland  Uruguay 2-0 4-2 1954 FIFA World Cup [23]
31 19 September 1954 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Romania 3-1 5-1 Friendly [24]
32 4-1
33 8 December 1954 Hampden Park, Glasgow, United Kingdom  Scotland 2-0 4-2 Friendly [25]
34 25 April 1955 Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria  Austria 2-1 2-2 1955–60 Central European International Cup [26]
35 11 May 1955 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden  Sweden 5-2 7-3 Friendly [27]
36 29 May 1955 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Scotland 1-1 3-1 Friendly [28]
37 15 September 1957 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria  Bulgaria 1-0 2-1 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification [29]
38 2-0
39 22 September 1957 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Soviet Union 1-1 1-2 Friendly [30]

Managerial career

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Hidegkuti_and_El_Khatib
Hidegkuti with Mahmoud El Khatib (left) in Al Ahly training session, Cairo in c. 1979

As a manager Hidegkuti coached clubs in Hungary, Italy, Poland and Egypt. In 1961 he guided Fiorentina to victory in the first ever European Cup Winners' Cup, beating Rangers 4–1 on aggregate in the final. With Győri ETO he won the Hungarian League in 1963 and then took them to the semi-final of the 1964–65 European Cup where they lost to eventual runners-up, Benfica. In Egypt, Hidegkuti coached Al Ahly, introducing a 5–3–2 formation, he coached Al Ahly for seven seasons from 1973 to 1980.

For his model behaviour as a player and coach, he was awarded the 1993 FIFA Fair Play Award.

Honours

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Player

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MTK Hungária

Hungary

Individual

Manager

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Fiorentina

Győri ETO FC

Al-Ahly[32][33]

Notes

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  1. ^ From 1949 to 1950 the club name was Budapesti Textiles SE, from 1950 to 1952 it was Budapesti Bástya SE and from 1952 to 1956 it was Vörös Lobogó SE.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Nándor Hidegkuti". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  2. ^ Tighe, Sam (8 October 2013). "Complete Guide to the False 9 and Who Plays It Best". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  3. ^ Tighe, Sam (26 October 2012). "9 Best False Nines in World Football History". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  4. ^ Revie, Don (1955). Soccer's Happy Wanderer.
  5. ^ "Hungary v Romania, 30 September 1945". 11v11. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Hungary vs Bulgaria international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Poland vs Hungary international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Hungary vs Finland international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Hungary vs East Germany* international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Poland v Hungary, 15 June 1952". 11v11. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Hungary v Sweden, 28 July 1952". 11v11. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Switzerland vs Hungary international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Hungary vs Czechoslovakia international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Italy vs Hungary international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Sweden vs Hungary international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Czechoslovakia v Hungary, 04 October 1953". 11v11. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Austria vs Hungary international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  18. ^ "England 3 - 6 Hungary". England Stats. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Egypt vs Hungary international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Hungary defeated England 7-1 on this day in 1954". Hungarian Football Federation. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Hungary v West Germany, 20 June 1954". 11v11. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  22. ^ "HUNGARY VS. BRAZIL 4 - 2". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Hungary v Uruguay, 30 June 1954". 11v11. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Hungary v Romania, 19 September 1954". 11v11. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Scotland v Hungary, 08 December 1954". 11v11. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Austria vs Hungary international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  27. ^ "Sweden v Hungary, 11 May 1955". 11v11. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Hungary vs Scotland international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Bulgaria vs Hungary match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Hungary vs Soviet Union international football match report". EU Football.info. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Nándor Hidegkuti, to the miracle striker of the Golden Team, was born in Óbuda a hundred years ago". pestbuda.hu. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  32. ^ "كيف تبني فريقاً للأهلي ؟ حقائق وتاريخ.. هيديكوتي وتلامذة أصبحوا أساتذة – الأهلي.كوم". el-ahly.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  33. ^ "إنفوجرافيك.. هيديكوتي.. صانع الذهب في الأهلي". elfagr.org. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.

Sources

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  • Behind The Curtain – Travels in Eastern European Football: Jonathan Wilson (2006) [1]
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