HUNGARY FOOTBALL TEAM
1950-1956
PLAYED............... 50 WON.................... 42 LOST.................... 1 DREW.................. 7 WIN RATIO......... 84% OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS: 1952 The Hungarian side of the 1950s had to be good because they earned a nickname – the Golden Team. And for good reason. They were a pass and run team built around the incredible individual skills of their players.
They were capable across the park and driven by an attacking mindset that was all about scoring more goals than the opposition and not worrying too much about how they defended.
The Hungarians were loaded with great players – most notably Ferenc Puskás, Nándor Hidegkuti, Sándor Kocsis and attacking half-back József Bozsik – which explains why they were able to win 31 games in a row and score so many goals.
Their one disappointment was their failure to win the 1954 World Cup. They averaged 5.4 goals per game at that tournament but lost the final 3-2 to West Germany and with that one defeat, probably came up short of truly establishing their greatness. SCORES ON THE DOORS LONGEVITY 3/10 This was not a team with a succession plan. They hit a red hot streak in 1951 and milked it until their key players became too old to sustain their brilliance. INTENSITY OF COMPETITION 8/10 Football was still a huge game back then, but not as big as it is now. The quality wasn’t as high across the board and the number of teams capable of being world champions was much lower. There was also a vastly different qualification process in place which meant that the best teams didn’t always turn up. PINNACLE TOURNAMENTS 5/10 Not winning the World Cup was a big blow. The Hungarians had defeated West Germany 7-3 earlier in the tournament. But perhaps Germany had deliberately underplayed their hand. Maybe they did, but the Hungarians probably didn’t do themselves justice on the day. WINNING RECORD 9/10 To win 31 games on the trot is a massive achievement. Likewise to lose just one is proof that Hungary were driven, committed and willing to play for each other. SPORTING FOOTPRINT 9/10 There are many who were alive in the early 1950s who say the Hungarian team was the finest they ever saw. The skill levels were incredible, the desire to attack relentless and the speed of movement phenomenal. The Hungarians were credited with being the inspiration for Holland’s Total Football revolution in the 1970s.