REQUIRED READING
Before taking Benfica to European Cup wins in 1961 and ’62, Bela Guttmann managed in Italy and Romania, where the post-war food famine meant he insisted on being paid in vegetables.
With Benfica, Bela signed a 19-year-old Eusebio after he had a chance encounter with an ex-sao Paulo colleague while inside a barbershop, then – only two years later – placed a 100-year ‘curse’ on the Eagles after leaving due to a pay dispute. He’s also the blueprint for modern globetrotting coaches, saying “the third season is fatal”.
Yet Bela’s life was marred by tragedy. Guttmann hid in an attic near Budapest as fellow Jews were sent to concentration camps, where family members perished, and he later made his own escape from a slave labour camp.
A gifted storyteller, Bolchover combines footballing glory with the sheer horror of war-torn Europe to form a gripping tale.