Bernd Schuster in action.

GIACINTO FACCHETTI: THE INTER LEGEND DECADES AHEAD OF HIS TIME.

www.thesefootballtimes.com

19/01/2016 by OMAR SALEEM  

 

IN FOOTBALL, the greatest legacies are reserved for those who pioneer their way into folklore. Manager and players alike are remembered in the grandest terms by evaluating their role in changing the course of football forever. It’s a long list, one that sees names like Michels, Cruyff, Pelé and Beckenbauer retain some eternal magic.

It’s perhaps strange, then, that Giacinto Facchetti is often overlooked outside of Italy when the greatest, most pioneering, era-defining players are talked about. This was a man – who above all else played the game with impeccable spirit and morality – who was decades ahead of his time at full-back; a man who scored 75 goals in over 600 games for a largely defensive Inter Milan.

Some, not least the legendary Helenio Herrera, refer to Facchetti as the grandest captain of them all. And with reason.

Facchetti’s magnificent story begins in the quiet northern town of Treviglio, in the province of Bergamo. Noted in later years by his former teachers for being the model student, one who applied himself in class and who had aspirations of becoming a doctor, Facchetti began his playing career as a centre-forward with local club CS Trevigliene.

Much like his excellence in the classroom, Facchetti applied himself with great success as a young striker, favouring shooting from all distances with his rocket of a right foot. His work-rate was evident from a young age, and quickly his thoughts turned to a career in calcio.

It wasn’t long before Facchetti was spotted playing in a youth tournament by Helenio Herrera, who used to scour the local regions for homegrown talent to incorporate into his embryonic Inter dynasty. Facchetti would prove to be his greatest acquisition of all.

Signed with the intention of playing him as a full-back, Herrera worked with Facchetti on the defensive side of his game, surely surprised at how quickly he grasped his idea of catenaccio. Indeed, full-back was probably one of the most challenging positions to play in the system, with immense concentration required at all times, not to mention the ability to intelligently pick when to move forward and join in the counter-attack.

Facchetti, unsurprisingly to those that knew his ability to apply himself and work towards a clear target, was a revelation at full-back. In just his second game – against Napoli in 1961 – he scored and was praised by the media for his tackling ability, physique, pace and attacking prowess.
He was the complete modern full-back, except it was the 1960s and most defenders at the highest level did exactly that: defend. Not Facchetti, who quickly established himself as the club’s first choice left-back, gaining a reputation around Europe as a leader and organiser.

Making 15 appearances in his first full season while still learning the position, Herrera was keen to give his prized asset enough time to craft his new role within the Inter system.

It was a ploy that worked supremely well, and Inter quickly became ‘Grande Inter’, brushing aside all those in their path and dominating the national, and continental, game over the next decade. At the heart of everything was Facchetti, the manager’s manager on the pitch.

By 1963, already the finest attacking full-back in the league, he helped Inter to their first scudetto in nine years, proving to be the catalyst for many attacks and scoring four goals in the league. Most crucially, he played a prominent role in their concession of just 20 goals in 34 league games. It was Facchetti’s ability in defence that so many attacking full-backs could learn from today. He would later tell Gazzetta dello Sport in 1999: “A defender must be able to defend. It is important to help in attack and create a numerical advantage, but a defender must keep everything organised. If you can’t do that, you’re just a winger out of position.”

With qualification for next season’s European Cup assured, Herrera set about conquering Europe and aiming to emulate the success of their local rivals AC Milan by lifting the club game’s most coveted prize. In an era where the format was a straight knock-out, Herrera’s Inter were perfectly suited to take on all those that awaited them. They sat deep, soaked up pressure with confident authority and then pounced on the break, utilising the creative brilliance of Sandro Mazzola, Mario Corso and Luis Suárez on the break.

The final of the 1964 European Cup pitted Inter against Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid. Miguel Muñoz’s side boasted the attacking prowess of Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás and Paco Gento – the most feared forward line in Europe at the time. Muñoz’s idea was to target the wide areas when Inter countered, utilising the skill, pace and trickery of his forwards. Facchetti, however, had other ideas.

Considered by many to be man of the match, Facchetti’s prominence in attack set free a number of moves, but it was his defensive contribution – bold, brave and bullish – that had the press talking afterwards. He played narrow, close to his central defenders and ensured that the fleeting feet of Real Madrid’s soon-to-be legendary front line was nullified.

A 3-1 victory in Vienna saw Herrera’s Inter dubbed ‘Grande Inter’, a moniker taken from the ‘Grande Torino’ side of Ernest Erbstein and Valentino Mazzola. The club replicated that success again in 1965, beating Eusebio’s Benfica courtesy of a solitary Jair goal. At 22, Facchetti was already a double European champion.

By 1965-66, Facchetti was at his most dangerous. He scored 12 goals in 38 games in all competitions and helped Inter to the scudetto again, this time proving more influential in attack than defence. His pace was proving to be a stern test for opposition full-backs, and his ability to cut inside and shoot was leading to team’s distorting their shape to keep him in check. It says everything about his quality that opponents were racking their brains about stopping Inter’s left-back.

The next season, 1966-67, would prove to be the most frustrating of Herrera’s Inter reign. Having lost out on the Serie A title to a miserly Juventus, who scored just 44 goals in 34 games, Facchetti’s thoughts turned to the European Cup final in Lisbon against Celtic.

Having played a pivotal role in seeing the Nerazzurri through to the final with a goal home and away against CSKA Sofia, a chance for a hat-trick of European titles was on offer.
Sadly for the man who was the pin-up boy of Italian football, his good looks and impeccable hair winning a number of female admirers, Jock Stein’s Celtic had others ideas and recorded a victory that would see them nicknamed the ‘Lisbon Lions’.

Having walked away from the season trophyless, Facchetti would have to wait another 12 months before his greatest moment in football would arrive.

Having made his debut for Italy in 1963, going on to become one half of a fearsome full-back pairing with Tarcisio Burgnich, Facchetti was now on the world stage. His performance in a memorable victory against Pelé’s Brazil at San Siro saw his name now mentioned amongst the greats of the global game.

His first major tournament for Gli Azzurri would be the 1966 World Cup in England. Having been sensationally beaten by North Korea in the greatest World Cup shock of all time, it was a mark of the man that he would later apologetically write to an English journalist who called him the world’s best defender, for his lack of form. That was Facchetti – a gentleman. Throughout all his success, his relentless marauds forward and his tight, unforgiving defending, Facchetti retained his humility and decency. He had the grace and honesty of a cricketer, never allowing personal gain to overshadow professional integrity.

The European Championships of 1968 would see Facchetti, now captain of the national side for almost two years, guide Italy to their greatest achievement under his leadership.

Despite being undermined for featuring just four teams, Euro 68 would present Facchetti with the only silverware of his international career. A 2-0 victory over Yugoslavia in the final of the tournament saw Facchetti lift the Euro title and set them on the path to Mexico 70, one of the greatest World Cup finals of all time.

Facchetti was now the respected leader in the Azzurri ranks, taking on the enviable task of guiding the likes of Gigi Riva, Gianni Rivera, Dino Zoff, Pierino Prati and Sandro Mazzola to the title. Having progressed through the group stage courtesy of a 1-0 victory against Sweden, Italy faced hosts Mexico in the quarter-final. A Gigi Riva-inspired Italy progressed, with Facchetti providing solid leadership in defence and ample attacking chances in the final third. Mexico had no answer to his pace, power and aggression.

The semi-finals saw the match of the tournament take place as Italy pitted their wits against Europe’s strongest team at the time, West Germany. Boasting Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Sepp Maier and Berti Vogts amongst their ranks, Italy’s Squadra would prevail against Germany’s Mannschaft 4-3 after extra-time in front of 102,000 fans in a baking hot Azteca. For many, this is the greatest World Cup game of them all. It was the ultimate test of “endurance and will” according to FIFA.

Looking back, Facchetti’s performance is a sight to behold. In a game where players performed for two hours in the unforgiving heat of Mexico City, Facchetti played like a man on a mission. He never stopped running, constantly pegging the Germans back with his fight to keep Italy on the front foot. He never stopped talking to his defence and those in front. And he never gave up.

With his usual confidence and fearless composure, Facchetti played out one of the finest captain’s performances in World Cup history by guiding his close-knit squad to the final, where they would face the might of Pelé’s Brazil.

Facchetti in action against Brazil

In what was perhaps the most one-sided final between two truly great teams, Brazil romped their way to a 4-1 victory, their Samba flair in attack, supplemented by two astoundingly brilliant full-backs of their own, proving too much for Facchetti and co.

In reality, Italy were never in the game, despite being level for 30 minutes at 1-1. Brazil dominated the ball, made better use of the conditions and put Italy to the sword. An ever gracious Facchetti praised Brazil after the final, demonstrating his class even in the most distressing times: “Brazil are the real champions and they deserve this victory. I congratulate them, but I congratulate my teammates even more. We gave everything for our nation but must praise our opponents. This is sport.”

Facchetti would continue to lead Italy until 1977, guiding his nation to a forgettable finals in 1974 when they were knocked out by a superb Poland side.

His final game would come against England at Wembley in 1977, one in which he performed admirably as a 36-year-old libero, despite Italy’s 2-0 loss.

Fondly remembered for his long years as Azzurri captain, Facchetti would finally retire with 94 caps to his name, but more importantly the respect and adoration of the football world. His quite astounding consistency for Italy over a 14-year period in the national team saw him rank amongst the best full-backs of his day, and later in history. His talent and drive was only matched by his grace and honesty, traits that mark out the man from so many other greats.

Facchetti’s brilliance at Inter would continue until 1978, where he would win the scudetto again in 1971 and the Coppa Italia in his final season. They would be added to his remarkable tally of two European Cups and two Intercontinental triumphs. Facchetti would also become one of the few defenders to finish in the top three in the Ballon d’Or vote, coming runner-up to Benfica’s Eusébio in 1965.

Having made the World Cup All-Star team in 1970, he was later inducted into the Italian Hall of Fame, a fitting place to rest for Italy’s most respected footballer, a defender only ever sent off once in his career.

Facchetti’s later years would see him remain at the club he played 629 games for, first as a coach and later as sporting director and president. In his honour, the club retired his famous number 3 jersey and kept him on payroll until his death in 2006.

Having influenced a generation of Italian defenders, most notably Paolo Maldini, who has spoken at length about Facchetti’s influence on his career, he passed away a legend; a man whose talent was so wonderfully supplemented by his human qualities.

Sandro Mazzola, Facchetti’s great friend and teammate for over a decade at Inter Milan and with Italy, summed up his old captain best: “He was the greatest figure on the field and off it.” An apt statement about a man who deserves his place alongside the likes of Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Pelé and Maradona.

By Omar Saleem  @omar_saleem

 

He was some defender.

Old Footballers You Might Not Know Of: Sandro Mazzola.

www.byfarthegreatestteam.com

 Steven Humphreys

 

 

3 years ago

Making it as a professional footballer is not easy. Making it when you are the son of a footballing legend is really not easy. To make it after finding out at 7 years old that your legendary father, who is still considered one of the best Italian players of all time, dies in Italian football’s greatest tragedy is even harder. To make it under those conditions, and to then go on to be considered, by some, as good as your legendary father, becoming one of Italy’s all time greats is truly remarkable.

But that’s what Sandro Mazzola did. Mazzola represented his country 70 times, scoring 22 goals. He played over 400 games for the best Inter side ever, scoring 116 goals in the process. He also picked up a Euro 1968 winners medal, and lifted 4 scudetti and 2 back-to-back European cups. He was also Serie A top scorer in 1965 and finshed 2nd to Johan Cruyff in the 1971 edition of Balon D’or. That’s some going.

His father, Valentino, was the captain and idol of the Torino side which dominated Italian football in the 1940’s. He died in the 1949 air crash in the foggy Turin hills which took the life of all 33 people on board; a tragedy that is hard to contextualize into today’s world: over 1 million people attended the funeral in Turin. Il Grande Torino, as they were known, are still talked about today as Italy’s best ever side.

They were the European team of the 1940’s; producing the first wave of Total Football that Europe had seen. They revolutionized the post-war game with swashbuckling, rampant attacking football at a time when the roots of catenaccio were starting to take hold in Italian football. In the 1948-49 season they scored 125 goals and only conceded 33. They had won 5 back to back scudetti from 1945-1949. They were unstoppable and in their prime – which makes the tragedy even bitterer.

The legend goes that, upon learning of his death, the 7 year old Mazzola promised to follow in his father’s footsteps, to become a footballer. But to be as good as him? It was going to be tough. Mazzola Snr was the heartbeat of Torino; a goal scoring, indefatigable playmaker and leader that Italian football had never seen before. Mazzola Jnr had some big boots to fill. According to Ferenc Puskas, he was worthy of the Mazzola name:

Mazzola: “Our first European Cup came against Real Madrid in 1964. We Won 3-1 and I got two goals. Real Madrid were the dream team in those times. They won everything. And they had the best around – Alfredo di Stefano. I remember being paralyzed by him before the game – I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. At the end of the game I ran towards him to get his shirt, but Puskas got in my way. He said “I played against your Dad. You do him proud. Here’s my shirt.” And now it’s the most precious one of my collection.”

Sandro Mazzola’a parents had divorced in 1946 and Valentino had won custody of his eldest son. Mazzola attended all his father’s training sessions, and wherever Valentino was, Sandro was too. Torino was in the Mazzola blood. Nevertheless, Sandro’s legacy would be made elsewhere – in the city of Milan.

After the tragedy, Valentino’s good friend, Benito Lorenzi, convinced Sandro’s mother to move to Milan with her young sons, for them to become mascots for the club and to sign up for the youth teams. Lorenzi and Giuseppe Meazza essentially took both the young Mazzolas under their wings.

Meazza was the youth coach at the time, and openly welcomed and integrated them into the club. The brothers got changed in the dressing room with the players, went out onto the pitch with them and watched on from the sidelines. Inter even handsomely rewarded the Mazzola family in return.

But Mazzola nearly packed football in during his mid-teens. He found himself to be an excellent basketball player, too. He played the two sports for a time, as a way to relieve the pressure of the Mazzola name and legacy on his young footballing shoulders. “Everybody expected to see a player of the same talent as my father, but I never had his qualities.” He said. Luckily for Inter, he ended up going back to his first love, football.

Inter in those days were led by the legendary and visionary coach, Helenio Herrera. Grande Inter is how they were known. They were the Italian team of the 60’s. However, their style of play was far removed from Il Grande Torino’s. Herrera is considered one of the masters of catenaccio.

This defensively orientated style of football demanded compactness and resoluteness, while requiring versatile and hardworking attackers capable of creating something from nothing.

The team tended to attack with 5 players, 6 when Fachetti, the legendary full back, moved into offensive positions – a novelty at that time. Mazzola fit the bill perfectly for the set up.

Watching Mazzola play, you notice a little bit of Kaka in him: most noticeably his elegant, upright dribbling style carried out at a speed which defied his height.

He struck the ball excellently, too. But, he never shirked; Herrera admired him as much for his defensive work rate as his attacking ability. Mazzola could do it all.

In the 1960’s the Inter / Milan rivalry was fierce. Milan, led by Nereo Rocco, another master of catenaccio, and the main reason for the subsequent use of the libero in Italian football, had beaten Inter to the first European cup in 1963, and his team dominated the late 50’s and early 60’s in domestic Italian football.

The rivalry between the big Milanese two was not confined to the clubs. In a personalized rivalry reminiscent of Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero in the early 2000’s, Mazzola had his own to and fro with the Milan and Italy great and winner of the 1969 Balon D’or, Gianni Rivera.

In the 1970 world cup, the Italian coach Ferruccio Valcareggi introduced the Staffetta (relay) Policy, playing Mazzola for one half and replacing him with Rivera at half time. The manager claimed the two of them couldn’t play together as they would unbalance the side. In the quarter and semifinals, as ever, Rivera came on at half time and decided the two crucial games.

Pressure was on for Rivera to start, but Valcareggi didn’t yield. He persisted with the policy; Mazzola started the final, with Rivera on the bench. But this time, Rivera didn’t come on at half time – finally making his way onto the pitch in the 84th minute, with Italy 3-1 down.

Despite a European Championship win in 1968 and a second place in the World Cup, the Italian fans and media were furious; and Valcareggi nearly didn’t survive.

The two great rivals finally played together in the 1974 World Cup, with Rivera wearing the number 10 shirt for Italy, and with Mazzola deployed on the wing; but their careers, like their clubs and national teams’ football dominance, were both coming to the end.

The Italians were knocked out by Poland in the final group game.

Mazzola became Inter captain in 1970, and in his first season he led his side to the 1970/1971 scudetto and was consequently voted the second best player in Europe, behind Johann Cruyff. He captained the side until his retirement in 1977.

Sandro Mazzola certainly made true on his words as that seven year old; but did he surpass his Dad’s achievements and legacy?

He would say he definitely didn’t.

Nostalgia and loss combined is a strong force. Some would say he did. Nonetheless, he gave it a great shot.

Mazzola (crouched, second from the right) with Grande Inter in the 1963–64 season

Sandro Mazzola in action.

Sandro Mazzola goals for Inter Milan. Part 1.

Edited April 8, 20215 yr by erskblue

Part 2 of Sandro Mazzola goals.

Guti (Spain) 1995-2011

The forgotten playmaker from Real Madrid's academy, one that had the famous “cultured left foot”.

 

 

The famous backheal passes deserve a gif:

18 minutes ago, Gol15 said:

Guti (Spain) 1995-2011

The forgotten playmaker from Real Madrid's academy, one that had the famous “cultured left foot”.

 

 

The famous backheal passes deserve a gif:

Goll15. I will put my hand up. I had forgotten just how good a player Guti was.

Which is exactly the point of this thread.😀
 

Wasn't sure where to post this but it's an article about the first paid footballer. It appears that football had the same issue as rugby i.e. some believed that you shouldn't be paid. In the case of rugby that resulted in what became rugby league.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-56668983

Fergus Suter left Scotland to earn his living playing football in England

The grave of one of English football's lesser-known pioneers has been restored after a fan watched his story on Netflix series, The English Game.

Jacqueline McAleese contacted Blackburn Rovers after noticing Fergus Suter's final resting place was dilapidated.

Suter is regarded as the first professional footballer, earning a "working wage" at Rovers in 1880.

Ms McAleese said she was "quite upset" after seeing his grave "had fallen over and was "just a mound of grass".

The restoration, funded by Blackburn Rovers, took place on the 135th anniversary of the triumph of Suter's third FA Cup winner's medal, when Rovers beat West Brom 2-0.

Ms McAleese said the restored grave at Blackburn Old Cemetery was "magical".

"I know he's not a relative and actually is nothing to do with me, but his story touched my heart and I became so passionate about it," she said.

Glaswegian Suter, who was born in 1857, quit his job as a stonemason in Scotland, to ply his trade in Lancashire.

He signed first for Darwen FC in 1878 and then Rovers in 1880 earning a working "wage" when professionalism was frowned on in the game.

The full back, noted for his passing ability, is regarded by football historians as a pathfinder for professionalism when his club broke the rules to pay him.

The English Game writer, Julian Fellowes, who also created Downton Abbey, said the restored grave could become a shrine for football fans.

"Millions upon millions of people around the world owe a great debt to Fergus Suter and to the other founders of modern football and it seems to me a wonderful thing that, thanks to Jacqueline, many of them will now have the chance to pay their respects at his grave," he said.

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, Boyne said:

Wasn't sure where to post this but it's an article about the first paid footballer. It appears that football had the same issue as rugby i.e. some believed that you shouldn't be paid. In the case of rugby that resulted in what became rugby league.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-56668983

Fergus Suter left Scotland to earn his living playing football in England

The grave of one of English football's lesser-known pioneers has been restored after a fan watched his story on Netflix series, The English Game.

Jacqueline McAleese contacted Blackburn Rovers after noticing Fergus Suter's final resting place was dilapidated.

Suter is regarded as the first professional footballer, earning a "working wage" at Rovers in 1880.

Ms McAleese said she was "quite upset" after seeing his grave "had fallen over and was "just a mound of grass".

The restoration, funded by Blackburn Rovers, took place on the 135th anniversary of the triumph of Suter's third FA Cup winner's medal, when Rovers beat West Brom 2-0.

Ms McAleese said the restored grave at Blackburn Old Cemetery was "magical".

"I know he's not a relative and actually is nothing to do with me, but his story touched my heart and I became so passionate about it," she said.

Glaswegian Suter, who was born in 1857, quit his job as a stonemason in Scotland, to ply his trade in Lancashire.

He signed first for Darwen FC in 1878 and then Rovers in 1880 earning a working "wage" when professionalism was frowned on in the game.

The full back, noted for his passing ability, is regarded by football historians as a pathfinder for professionalism when his club broke the rules to pay him.

The English Game writer, Julian Fellowes, who also created Downton Abbey, said the restored grave could become a shrine for football fans.

"Millions upon millions of people around the world owe a great debt to Fergus Suter and to the other founders of modern football and it seems to me a wonderful thing that, thanks to Jacqueline, many of them will now have the chance to pay their respects at his grave," he said.

 

 

 

Boyne:Didn’t know anything about him. Cheers for posting it.

29 minutes ago, erskblue said:

Boyne:Didn’t know anything about him. Cheers for posting it.

You're welcome mate. I remember watching the trailer for the Netflix programme but never knew about Suter. All credit to him for what he did for footballers.

On 02/04/2021 at 19:51, Gol15 said:

Robinho 2002-2020

He is till this day known in Brazil as one of the best step-over dribblers to ever play the game, his peak was the mid 2000's.

Now he is better known as a convicted rapist. Even at his peak he was merely a mediocre player, contributing more drama than goals/assists to the teams he played for.

 

On 04/04/2021 at 15:47, erskblue said:

For all the gifts Germany has given to football – the imperiousness of Franz Beckenbauer, the clinical finishing of Gerd Müller, the vision of Günter Netzer, the competitive qualities of Lothar Matthäus – it has produced few players like Pierre Littbarski. A diminutive figure who through a combination of impish brilliance and fearlessness, lit up even the cagiest encounters with his determination to terrorise the game’s more rugged defenders. The epitome of grace over power and joy over cynicism.

Hilarious, Littbarski then proceeded to carve out a career as a notoriously defensive, counter-attacking manager!

Francesco Toldo - Italy (1990-2010)

A good keeper that was in the shadow of Buffon for most of his career.

 

 

Scored vs Juventus:

 

Great performance in the Euro vs the Dutch:

 

 

Gregory Coupet - France (1993-2011)

Not fully appreciated due to other French keepers of that time e.g. Barthez.

 

 

One of the most impressive saves, his own player chips the ball towards him so he can't catch it and then amazing reflexes...

 

HOW JEAN-PIERRE PAPIN BECAME ONE OF THE GREATEST GOALSCORERS IN FRENCH FOOTBALL HISTORY

09/05/2019 by PATRICK ROWHAN.      www.thesefootballtimes.co  

 

More than 300 goals in 500 games for club and country, six league titles, a Champions League winners medal and a Ballan d’Or cemented Jean-Pierre Papin as one of the greatest French players of all-time, up there in the realms of Platini and Zidane. But unlike those great creators, Papin’s currency was in goals.

“Whether you like it or not, I’m going to be a professional footballer,” was the response a 13-year-old Papin gave his mum when she asked him what he wanted to be when he was older. It’s the dream for all kids growing up playing the game, but for Papin it was already a self-assured belief. Just as real as working hard at school to become a lawyer – the profession his mother wanted for him. Needless to say she wasn’t best pleased, especially as his leg had been in plaster for the last 14 months following a serious car accident. 

He’d been hit by a car going over 60mph and was lucky to have escaped with only a broken leg. In an interview with L’Équipe, he reflects on that accident: “It was a true miracle, I wasn’t meant to play football again after that.” His determination and drive to succeed as a footballer was clearer than ever.

The ensuing years saw Papin play for several sides as a junior and then as a semi-professional, but it wasn’t until he was 21 that his professional career started, an ascent that was to become as rapid as his acceleration away from clambering opposition defenders. Just two years later he’d be netting for France in a World Cup and, five years after that, be awarded the Ballon d’Or.

His pro contract was with Ligue 2 side Valenciennes, where he spent one season and scored a respectable 16 times in 35 games. It wasn’t a season-defining haul but it was enough to secure a move to the Belgium top flight with Bruges, largely due to Papin scoring 11 goals in the 12 games that the Belgian scouts watched. The contract was soon in the post. The goals he went on to score the following season in Belgium – 32 in 43 appearances – were enough to change things irrevocably, and the Papin goal machine was motoring.

 

From there he was a surprise call-up to the France World Cup squad for Mexico 86. He had played for the under-23s but it was still very much unexpected and was a contentious selection in France; a little-known player plying his trade in Belgium given such a chance took many by surprise.

It was proved to be warranted, though, as Papin netted twice in the three games he played, his second coming against Belgium in the playoff to finish third overall. He had played alongside giants of the French game like Michel Platini and Jean Tigana and was given an invaluable insight into what was needed to progress to the next level.

The next phase in his career truly defined the man as a prolific striker. His sole objective after the World Cup was to get a move back to his homeland, and he signed a pre-contract agreement with Monaco. However, controversial Marseille chairman Bernard Tapie was able to tap him up after those initial agreements with their Mediterranean neighbours.

Papin believed in the “project” Tapie spoke of and there was also some performance-related pay that swayed his decision. As a result, by the late summer of ’86, Papin was wearing the famous white and sky blue of Marseille. What followed were six years that saw the most outstanding goal tallies recorded in Ligue 1: 16, 23, 33, 38, 36, 38. Indeed, those final four years saw the Frenchman firmly regarded as one of Europe’s most lethal marksmen.

As a young player coming from an inferior league, Papin was under increased scrutiny irrespective of his efforts in Mexico, such was the pressure in Marseille. Critics were quick to write him off, but he describes his first year as a “one of adaptation” – and the rewards were spectacular for player and club. In the modern game, he may not have been given the time he needed to flourish.

For five seasons running he was their top goalscorer, and although his attributes – small, quick and lethal – made him perfectly equipped to be a poacher, he was more than just that. He scored from all angles, was particularly good at exposing the last defender with his pace and ruthless finishing, and he had an uncanny knack for burying spectacular volleys, which became known as La Papinade.

It was during his time in Marseille that the term was coined, referring to his ability to react instinctively to a ball in the air. If you’ve not seen any of his volleys, it’s the one you attempted as a kid at the park; part scissor-kick, part volley. While the rest of us shanked them or missed them altogether, Papin would frequently react quickest to smash them in. It was something of a trademark.

But was this spontaneity simply a gift for finding the back of the net or the result of hours of hard work? In an interview for Lavoixdunord, Papin explains: “I had a talent for scoring, but without the work it would’ve counted for nothing.” He adds, with an air of arrogance vital for great goalscorers, on SoFoot: “When I found myself in front of goal, it was never in doubt, it’s what I was doing every day in training hundreds of times. It became natural.”

That feeling of goals becoming natural is the kind of confidence and self-assurance that separates the great strikers from the good ones. His training was clearly fundamental but Papin’s mentality helped him to become the complete package, something that would result in him being awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1991.

Papin had scored 36 goals and had reached the Champions League final with Marseille that season, so it wasn’t a surprise when he pipped Lothar Matthäus to the award – but what was a surprise was dedicating it to reserve goalkeeper Alain Casanova: “I stayed long after training to practice my ranges, and every day for three years Alain accepted to go in goal. He was our reserve keeper and my personal trainer. But above everything he was a friend, and that’s the most important thing.”

His ability to acknowledge the benefits others had on his game no doubt helped him to be an effective captain for club and country. Recognising that his form improved in correlation with the Marseille team strengthening year on year meant he maintained a team-centric approach regardless of the number of goals he scored and selfish nature of his position on the pitch.

Even the greatest of strikers are indebted to those who provide the service, and in another interview for SoFoot, he explains that Chris Waddle was perhaps the player he enjoyed playing with most: “We loved to play together … he understood me the most, our connection started as soon as he arrived, no one could speak English and he stayed with me for a couple of months. That feeling was evident on the pitch.”

Watching old footage of their connection on the pitch is highly enjoyable for the purist; that gliding finesse of Waddle, dribbling his way forward, mullet blowing in the wind, and playing the inevitable deft pass to Papin, for the quick and ruthless number 9 to power home.

Those six seasons with Marseille proved to be Papin’s pinnacle and it was a mixed bag thereafter. He went on to win the Champions League and two Scudetti with AC Milan, as well as the UEFA Cup with Bayern Munich, but injuries and team selection didn’t see him settle into any kind of form or show his true potential for either club. 

However, he did show glimpses at Milan. He arrived with great expectations, a £10m world-record fee proof enough that Milan were serious about Papin partnering Marco van Basten in attack – a frightening prospect for any defence at the time. In his first season, he scored 13 times in 22 Serie A appearances, the exact same number Van Basten scored, albeit with seven more games played. However, the following season, he scored only five league goals in 18 appearances – but those numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Milan that season were not a team set up to accommodate swashbuckling poacher, and manager Fabio Capello had made sure of that. The Rossoneri won the league that year with a mere 36 goals in 34 games, most coming from Daniele Massaro who notched 11 times. Papin was actually second highest goalscorer with five, which puts his number into perspective. Incredibly, Massaro was only 14th in the race for the Capocannoniere.

Papin later reflected on playing under Capello: “If Capello’s system looks boring from the stands, it’s even worse to play in.” The defensive nature of Milan’s approach made Papin’s decision to move on an easy one.

He signed for Bayern Munich for £2m, his steep drop in transfer fee reflecting both his loss in form and stature. The following two seasons in Bavaria would only further this trend in his value as he was ravaged by injury and only managed six goals in total, leaving Germany as one of the club’s most underwhelming signings of the time.

Poor timing was an unfortunate theme that ran through the latter part of Papin’s career, but nothing compared to how it affected his international career. The “cursed generation” of French football from 1984 to 1998 unfortunately spanned the entirety of Papin’s career. It was a turbulent and toxic period in French football that saw them fail to qualify for Euro 88 and two World Cups, in 1990 and 1994 – this at a time when Papin was at the peak of his powers.

The season before Euro 88, Papin scored 23 goals and just two seasons later, before the 1990 World Cup, he’d netted 38 times, the kind of form deserving of the world stage. This clearly didn’t hinder his personal performances for his country as he scored twice in three games at Euro 92 in Sweden. More significant still was his overall goal ratio for Les Bleus: he scored 30 times in 54 games, which is a considerably better ratio than both Karim Benzema and Thierry Henry.

That experience of playing and scoring in a World Cup at the age of 23 was the perfect preparation for future tournaments; it’s just such a shame that his chance never came again. The futility of the situation understandably makes Papin reflect on those missed qualification games. When asked what game he’d like to replay, Papin responds frankly: “France-Bulgaria. No point in explaining why.”

Jean-Pierre Papin’s legend was really established in his six years at Marseille, with 184 goals, five top-scorer awards, four Ligue 1 titles, a Coupe de France, and a Champions League final. His kindred relationship with Marseille was clearest the season he finally left and met them in the European Cup final as an AC Milan player. He watched most of the game from the bench and wasn’t able to make an impact when he did come on. 

What proved most telling was his reaction when the whistle went at the end of the game. As a jubilant Marseille bench charged the field, an emotional Bernard Tapie approached Papin and donned a big celebratory smile whilst hugging him. He’s since commented that in that moment, he had totally forgotten he was an opposition player, and was just happy for his old club and teammates. It’s a mark of the brilliance he enjoyed at the Vélodrome.

By Patrick Rowhan

Some of Papin Goals.

A tribute to the sometimes wonderful Alen Boksic, football’s Rubik’s Cube.

www.planetfootball.com

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If Erno Rubik, creator of the Rubik’s Cube, had ever decided to sculpt a footballer, he’d surely have made Alen Boksic. 

Seemingly blessed with all the attacking gifts required to reach the very top of the game, Boksic had once been considered the new Marco van Basten and Europe’s answer to Ronaldo.

Physically robust – hard even to foul – Boksic could go through the gears at an alarming rate. He possessed powerful shooting, tight control with both feet and was prodigious in the air.

He was also an absolute master of the chip. Whether it was as a one-on-one where he would lift it over the advancing goalkeeper or even from outside the area, he made it look ridiculously easy, just as he made a number of goalkeepers look ridiculous.

Yet only once in his career did Boksic register more than 20 goals in a single season.

“With the cube, there are many flashes, there are many aha’s,” the Hungarian inventor Rubik had pontificated.

Boksic’s prolific 1992-93 season with Marseille – he scored 23 Ligue 1 goals and six in the European Cup, helping the French side win both – became the de-facto proof that the Boksic algorithm could yield the highest results.

It would prove to be the reference point that encouraged Lazio (twice) and Juventus to take a punt on a player who finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or ahead of the likes of Michael Laudrup, Paolo Maldini, Hristo Stoichkov and Ruud Gullit in 1993.

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Boksic never replicated his form from that one season while in Italy, but his value lay beyond just goal scoring. He was part of a new wave of centre-forwards that Thierry Henry says reinvented the role in the 1990s.

“Ronaldo together with Romario and George Weah reinvented the centre-forward position,” Henry said.

“They were the first to drop from the penalty box to pick up the ball in midfield, switch to the flanks, attract and disorientate the central defenders with their runs, their accelerations, their dribbling.”

• • • • 

Boksic fitted this mould. Managers at the time understood his talents would provide their team with variety, even allowing for a lack of efficiency in front of goal at times.

Asked who of Boksic or Davor Suker was the better striker, international colleague Slaven Bilic once said: “I don’t know who is better.

“If you ask me as a centre-back, when you play against Boksic, he would have slaughtered you. Running, dribbling, going left in the channel. He’d kick you, beat you, whatever. But maybe he wouldn’t score.

“But Suker? You’d have a good game against Suker, but then he’d score a couple.”

As a combination, perhaps Suker’s poise benefitted from Boksic’s softening up of the opposition.

As if to highlight the point, Boksic scored only 17 goals across three seasons in Serie A for Lazio between 1993 and 1996 yet earned a move to Juve, where he won the Scudetto, Coppa Italia, European Super Cup and World Club Cup in a single season.

However, perhaps Juve were hoping to get another season like 1992-93 out of Boksic because, despite the team’s success, he was sold back to Lazio after just one year.

In his second spell in the Eternal City he helped the club win only its second ever Scudetto, along with the Coppa Italia and the Cup Winners’ Cup (although he had little involvement in the now defunct competition). It was no coincidence that he was part of successful teams.

Bad luck

But a succession of injuries and bad luck (or was it fate?) all counted against Boksic when it came to receiving the recognition his talent merited. At the most important points of his career, the necessary algorithms were absent.

He was withdrawn by the Yugoslavian Football Federation from playing in the 1987 World Youth Cup – on the premise that he’d gain more playing domestic football – only for a team including talents such as Suker, Zvonimir Boban, Predrag Mijatovic and Robert Prosinecki to win the tournament.

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Later, his achievements as top scorer in the Marseille team that won the European Cup and French domestic league titles in 1992 were muddied by a match-fixing scandal that eventually saw the club stripped of the league title and relegated. Boksic formed part of the ensuing fire sale of players.

A head injury in the first half of Croatia’s opening game at Euro 96 negated any impact he may have made in the new nation’s international tournament debut, while injury ruled out his participation at France 98, where Croatia finished third.

It was Boksic who had scored the decisive goal in the second leg of the play-off for the tournament against Ukraine which sealed qualification, but that would be the end of his role in the national team’s finest hour.

By the time Boksic was injury-free for a tournament, aged 32, at the World Cup in 2002, many of his illustrious team-mates were in the twilight of their careers. Croatia were nowhere near the force they had been and made little impact. Luck, it appeared, was not on his side.

Middlesbrough swansong

Following his title success with Lazio in 2000, Boksic surprisingly moved to Middlesbrough. The wage of £65,000 a week (reportedly making him the highest earner at the time in English football) undoubtedly played its part in swaying him, but he cut an isolated figure at Boro.

“I sensed the lads didn’t like him and it was easy to understand why,” Gareth Southgate said when he moved to the Riverside Stadium in Boksic’s second season with the club.

“In Steve McClaren’s vision for Boro, everyone worked together and no-one sought special treatment. But there were two sets of rules at Boro: rules for Alen and rules for the rest.

“In pre-season training, when he felt he had done enough, he walked away from the group and began his warming down exercises. The remarkable part was the complete lack of embarrassment, the refusal to excuse himself.”

There were even rumours that Boksic was oblivious as to who the club were playing and that he would go back to Croatia and not tell anyone.

Yet despite the question marks over his professionalism in England, Boksic loomed large over Middlesbrough’s best moments during the period he was at the club, helping to keep them in the Premier League and scoring decisively in derbies and against the best sides in the land, often in outstanding fashion.

Ultimately, though, his time in England followed the same pattern as the rest of his career. He could have been one of the best players of the 1990s, but instead, much like the Rubik’s Cube, he’ll be remembered best as a puzzle so many people failed to find the answer to.

Edited April 16, 20215 yr by erskblue

Fernando Hierro: The Defender With an Outrageous Scoring Record.

www.90mins.com

By Ali Rampling

Nov 18, 2020, 9:15 PM GMT

As defenders go, they rarely come as complete as Fernando Hierro.

The Spanish international was a rock in the heart of the Real Madrid side that enjoyed such extraordinary success in the 90s and 00s - and for a time was even the national team's top goal scorer.

 

Hierro was a unique centre back | Clive Mason/Getty Images

Hierro was a composed, ball playing centre half before it was cool. A tall, imposing figure, he had the appearance of a robust, no nonsense defender, but played with all the poise, composure and intelligence of a Bobby Moore. 

And absolutely lived for a thumping sliding tackle.

He became the OG 'Galáctico' when he moved from Real Valladolid to Real Madrid for €1m in 1989. He was originally brought in as a midfielder, and advanced further forward during his third season at the Bernabeu.

Hierro was Real's top scorer during the 1991/92 season, hitting 21 goals. 

Hierro was a regular on free kick duty | Clive Mason/Getty Images

But despite his early goal scoring feats, Real were always at their best when Hierro was at the heart of their defence. Four of the five La Liga titles and all three of the Champions League crowns the Spaniard won in the Spanish capital came while he was playing at centre half. 

Hierro was a reluctant centre half, a defender with a forward's brain. 

"I watch the game unfolding up front from my position in defence," he said in a 2002 interview [via the Guardian]. "And many times I say to myself: 'What a shame I can't go up there and have a shot.' I know I wasn't born to be a defender."

But the natural ball playing ability that came from starting out as a midfielder became his greatest weapon as a central defender. The manner in which he could elegantly maraud forward from the back with the ball at his feet, his terrific first touch and his ice cool composure were vital to Real.

His vision, anticipation and ability to pick a pass were sublime, enabling him to find the Real forward line time after time with a searching long ball. 

Even after being moved back to centre half, the goal scoring continued. Hierro was the designated penalty taker for club and country for a decade, and was always trusted with free kick responsibilities.

The centre back concluded his international career in 2002 with 29 goals in 89 appearances - a figure that is only bettered by Raul, David Silva, Fernando Torres and David Villa.

His Real scoring record is similarly outrageous; 102 goals in 439 appearances - near enough a goal every four games.

Real Madrid have long been a hectic club, no more so as the Galáctico era began to take shape in the late 90s and early 00s. But the ever dependable Hierro was constantly the calm amongst the chaos. 

He departed Real in 2003 having won eight major trophies in 14 seasons, leaving for the luxury of Qatari side Al-Rayyan.

But the Qatari lifestyle was not quite lucrative enough for Hierro, who opted to finish his career in style: at Bolton Wanderers.

Fernando Hierro. His goals and his skill. 

SÁNDOR KOCSIS: THE QUIET HUNGARIAN WHO WAS AS CLINICAL AS PUSKÁS

16/06/2017 by TREVOR MURRAY.      www.these football times.co  

 

IF YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF SÁNDOR KOCSIS, it’s likely that you’re not from Hungary or you’re not a die-hard Barcelona supporter.

 Held up as a cherished cult hero by both sets of fans, Kocsis’ quality is well known by both the Blaugrana and admirers of Hungarian football history, but outside of those circles he’s generally brought up in conversation rarely – or as a recent footnote, someone whose international goals tally looks set to be inevitably overhauled by CristianoRonaldo.

Search his name on Twitter or on Google and he will appear as just another name about to fall victim to Ronaldo’s insatiable appetite for goals. Just two strikes away from equalling his haul, it is only a matter of time until the Portuguese overtakes him, and yes, before the Los Blancos attacker moves past Ferenc Puskás, too, to top the all-time European international goal-scorer list.

But to refer to Kocsis in such a way is to do him a terrible injustice because he is so much more than a milestone to overcome. First and foremost, he is a national hero whose legacy deserves to be celebrated by football fans everywhere and held up in as high regard as the Pelés, Romarios and Silvio Piolas of the beautiful game’s history books.

Aspiring strikers everywhere spend hours studying and mimicking the moves, styles and tricks of their modern heroes, but there is a great deal to be said for delving into the past, plonking oneself in front of a screen and watching old black-and-white footage of someone of Kocsis’ unrivalled ability. Even today, the Hungarian great has a lot of lessons to impart.

After all, a great footballer is a great footballer no matter what era they are from. Not often showered with mainstream praise, it might surprise you to learn, then, that Kocsis is arguably the greatest goalscorer ever seen on the international stage.

He didn’t win the World Cup, European Championship or the European Cup, he wasn’t the highest scoring Hungarian in history and he didn’t rack up an insane amount of 1,000-plus goals in his career. That said, there is still a very convincing argument that we have not seen since his playing days came to an end, nor will ever see again, a striker of his clinical nature.

That’s because in a mere 68 international appearances for his country, he scored 75 times. Just let that sink in for a moment – his goals-to-games ratio was a mind-blowing 1.10 per match. That is, quite simply, an astonishing number that not even Portugal’s Ronaldo can ever hope to get anywhere near. In fact, it has taken the much-lauded Real Madrid captain twice as many appearances to score two less than Kocsis.

Kocsis is said to have been so good in his pomp, in fact, that Gergely Marosi, a prominent Hungarian journalist and expert on all things Magyar-related, believes his goalscoring achievements will not be emulated ever again: “His 75 goals in 68 matches for the national team is, quite simply, insane,” Marosi told These Football Times.

“No-one will get close to that conversion rate in a Hungarian jersey, I think. Probably his personal highlight was the two crucial goals scored against Uruguay in the semi-final of the 1954 World Cup, sending Hungary to the final. He was so exhausted after the game that he could not dress properly.”

Indeed, if there is one big highlight that sticks out in Kocsis’ goal-filled career for his beloved country, it is his contributions on that day in Lausanne on June 30, over 60 years ago.

The rise before the fall, his expertly dispatched double that afternoon marked his 47th and 48th goals respectively in his international career and would go on to cement his status as the top scorer in Switzerland that summer with a remarkable 11 goals, thus claiming the cherished Golden Boot award.

Before gifting Hungary the victory in extra time, though, Kocsis’ heading ability was witnessed for its creativity, proving that he wasn’t simply a finisher, but a provider of assists as well.

As Nándor Hidegkuti – the renowned scorer of a hat-trick in the 6-3 ‘Match of the Century’ win against England – received the ball 15 yards from the edge of the box, he sized up his options surrounded by markers before dinking a lovely lofted chip into the alert Kocsis, whose perfectly directed header squeezed through to Zoltán Czibor to finish with a sweetly-struck left-footed effort that arrowed into the bottom far corner of the net in the 12th minute.

Hidegkuti himself doubled Hungary’s lead two minutes following the restart to set them up for a comfortable finish, but a brace from Juan Hohberg levelled the scores to send the teams into added time at the death. Awash with drama, full-pelt running and no-nonsense approach play, this was a match played by hardy, technical characters, and it meant everything to them.

The image of three Hungarian players distraught on the goal-line as Hohberg wheeled away following his second strike in the 86th minute told its own story of just how hard-fought the game was. Certain victory, snatched away with the flick of a boot against leather – such were the fine margins of the game.

Cue Kocsis to produce a monstrous surge of energy and a shot of heroism. Marosi says that heading was undoubtedly Kocsis’ greatest asset – something the Hungarian journalist’s own grandfather saw used to devastating effect at first hand in his day: “My grandfather used to play lower league football in the time of Kocsis, and he was observing his game week in and week out to learn about heading,” Marosi tells me.

“He says Kocsis had the best and cleanest heading technique he ever witnessed on a football pitch, combined with great jumping, and for him especially impressive was the way Kocsis aimed his strong headers downward, just around the goal-line, so the goalkeepers had really difficult time to keep those out.

“If you look at contemporary photos, you can see how strong Kocsis’ neck was – not unlike Cristiano Ronaldo. He used that to devastating effect. He was able to outjump almost everyone, almost stopping for a moment at the peak of the jump and then send his famous bullet headers on goal.”

Indeed, that was exactly how it played out in the 1954 World Cup semi-final as ‘Golden Head’ stayed true to his name to deliver two lethal blows to Uruguay’s rally, nodding a pair of confident headers from close range on both occasions to power the ball into the back of the net past Roque Gastón Máspoli – the first to the goalkeeper’s left, the second to his right.

It wouldn’t have surprised many that Kocsis was producing the goods in the absence of Ferenc Puskás, who had been missing for the quarter-final against Brazil, because Kocsis had always made a habit of rattling the net ever since his debut aged 18 against Romania (during which he pocketed two goals) and eventually went on to record an unbelievable seven international hat-tricks.

However, what is a little odd is how 1954 and Puskás are linked so positively with each other despite the “Galloping Major” experiencing a lack of game time. To the wider football community, the story of Kocsis and his goal-spree across the Swiss cities of Zürich, Basel and Bern might seem a little undercelebrated, somehow suffocated by the legacy of his more illustrious teammate and captain.

The fact Kocsis isn’t shouted about in the same way might have something to do with what happened in the final. Hungary lost 3-2 against West Germany, a team they had comprehensively beaten 8-3 in the group stage when Kocsis grabbed an astonishing four goals. Kocsis was expected to shine again, but his powers deserted him against the Germans the second time around as he failed to net in the showpiece final with Puskás returning to the fray as Hungary were made to pay for a lack of clinical finishing.

Kocsis was simply exhausted from his tournament plundering. He had played in every match of the tournament and had been heavily relied on to get them out of trouble on a number of occasions, not least against Uruguay and the Brazilians.

A look at the ’54 final matchday squads sees László Budai on the bench, a player whom Kocsis had a good rapport with on the pitch. Budai’s crosses were often measured perfectly for the imposing striker – after all, they had combined for the first extra-time goal in the last four and had been teammates at Honvéd for several years. Perhaps that had been the problem.

Whatever the reasons behind the lack of buzz for Kocsis’ legacy, the fact remains that he couldn’t do what he did best on the biggest stage around and Hungary missed their best chance of getting their hands on the Jules Rimet trophy for the first time.

Marosi is of the opinion that Kocsis’ humble nature played its part in the former Honvéd star not receiving the accolades he deserved: “It might have to do with his early and tragic death, the fact that, unlike Puskás, he never had the chance to return home and his personality, which was quite reserved and introverted.
He was never the one to self-promote – and that might well be a factor when building a legacy.

“It’s difficult to compare players from very different periods this way. Ronaldo is a player who, alongside Messi, defines his era. I think Puskás was considered more era-defining, but Kocsis was up there in the very top strikers of the world. I don’t think Kocsis had such an impact on world football as Ronaldo, but that of course has to do in the very different era they lived in,” Marosi tells me.

Essentially exiled from his home country after a student-led revolution broke out in October 1956, Kocsis never returned home while he was still alive, although he was brought back in 2012 from Spain where his remains had rested since he had passed away in 1979. That’s because Kocsis and Spain, namely Barcelona, formed a special bond for eight years.

Having been on continental duty with Honvéd at the time of a serious national uprising which sent shockwaves across the country, playing the first leg of a European Cup clash against Athletic Club, Kocsis, László Kubala and Puskas ultimately took the decision to escape with their families from a Soviet-controlled country which wound up violently squashing the people’s rebellion.

So began a worldwide tour with the club – deemed illegal by FIFA – which saw the players showcase their talents to a vast array of clubs in Spain and Brazil as well as raising funds. This was essentially Kocsis’ chance to break free, but while painfully distancing himself from the trouble back home – as well as the chance to ever play for his country again – meant freedom from conflict. It also signalled the breaking up of a club team that had, at one point, consisted of six Hungarian players who had featured in the infamous 6-3 routing of England.

In effect, it was the end of a dream team that, had history not conspired to scatter them to the winds and deny them the opportunity to play in Europe together, could easily have gone on to monopolise European football.

Honvéd’s loss would be European football’s gain as Kocsis became available for some of the best clubs around, ending a domestic career in Hungary which saw him pick up four league crowns as well as scoring a reputed 250 goals – 177 of which came in the colours of Honvéd.

After two years globetrotting and making appearances in exhibition matches for Honvéd, the man affectionately dubbed “Kocka” ultimately found a more permanent home at Barcelona, whom he had played against on the tour, before going on to be one of the greatest goalscorers the club has ever seen.

In all, he netted 151 times in 235 matches, claiming two Fairs Cups, two league titles as well as a pair of Copa del Rey triumphs to underline that, despite playing only pseudo-competitive football for almost 24 months in the lead-up to his transfer to the club, he had never lost his world-class touch and was as good as he had ever been.

However, as it was for the national side, there would come one notable pockmark on an otherwise blemish-free stint. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the scene of his 1954 World Cup final disappointment, the w**kdorf Stadium in Bern, would be the same for the setback he encountered in the 1961 European Cup final against Benfica.

Going down 3-2 to the Portuguese outfit, having knocked five-time champions Real Madrid out earlier in the competition, it was a bitter pill for the Spanish club to take. Kocsis, no doubt, found defeat doubly difficult to stomach because not only had he played bravely with memories of defeat on his mind, but he had overcome them by scoring the first goal of the game.

Barça’s Kubala held off the attempted tackles of Cruz in the middle of the park before he spread the play wide for the right full-back Martí Vergés to run onto. Vergés collected at pace before the ball had run out of play, prodded a clever through-ball into the path of Luis Suárez, who stormed into the box from the right to curl a cross into the path of Kocsis and the Hungarian made no mistake with his finish – getting in front of his man near the back post with a fearsome leap to stab the ball into the back of the net, past the sickened Costa Pereira.

Kocsis spun away, back in the direction the assist had come from, arms raised in jubilant celebration, to embrace his team-mates as the fans roared in thunderous appreciation. It was a classy goal, an important goal and one that summed up the spirit and style of Kocsis the player and the man.

Full of resilience, vivacity and enthusiasm, Kocsis always played with everything he had in him and it’s no surprise that his goal in the 1961 final came, again, via his head. It really was his best weapon and although he didn’t rely solely on it to best custodians, it was his most effective means of doing so.

Two of the most prestigious finals Kocsis ever played in ended in defeat and agony for him, but to focus entirely on these disappointments would ignore his ability to redefine himself, his self-belief to pursue a career as a professional footballer despite having to leave behind a country he loved, the way he spearheaded a golden generation for the Mighty Magyars, how he constantly faced down the past and the historic role he played in shaping the future of European club football.

That’s because he was there for the spiritual birth of the European Cup when Honvéd travelled to Molineux to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers in a high-profile friendly in 1954, two years before his enforced separation from his homeland. It would also prove the precursor to arguably Kocsis’ greatest display of post-Hungary excellence.

Wolves’ surprise 3-2 victory over the visiting Honvéd in December 1954 was used by plenty of newspapers to defend English football’s honour, with journalist David Wynne-Morgan painting a particularly colourful, if fairly propagandist, picture on the night with his reportage: “Salute the wonderful Wolves this morning for giving Britain her greatest football victory since the war. Last night under the Molineux floodlights, they beat Honvéd, the Magical Magyars, by 3-2 after being 2-0 down at half-time. England has never had more worthy champions,” he wrote.

Wolves manager Stan Cullis told the Daily Mirror: “The match was the most exciting I have ever seen.”

Far from being one of Kocsis’ most cherished nights of football, he didn’t let the mucky conditions detract from his skill as he got on the scoresheet once again, his involvement playing a key role in drawing such an enormous crowd to watch on the night.

 The result was held aloft by English pundits as proof that the nation was on the rise again following a downward spiral that had reached new lows in their Wembley defeat to Hungary a year prior, but plenty of other countries questioned that claim.

The English press’ one-way exclamations morphed into a heated conversation with the rest of the continent as L’Équipe chimed in to directly challenge any proclamations of Wolves, or England, being ‘the best’. 
Before long, everyone was having their say, the dialogue quickly descending into a shouting match that ultimately dragged on as statements and counter-claims were made.

Thankfully, bureaucracy took hold and, finally, the European Cup was introduced in the mid-1950s to settle the matter once and for all. 

Of course, Real Madrid dominated proceedings as they made history by winning the first five editions in a row, but for Kocsis there would be a degree of poetic justice done when he came face-to-face with Wolves once more in the second leg of Barça’s first-ever European Cup quarter-final in 1960.

In fact, he would more than gain his vengeance as he scored the team’s fastest hat-trick of the competition to seal a 5-2 victory (9-2 aggregate) by netting in the 44th, 49th and 74th minutes to banish the memories of that original muddy night in the English West Midlands. One commentator at the time even went so far as to dub the rematch ‘Massacre Night at Molineux’, with Kocsis firmly cast in the role of executioner as Wolves lost their first-ever tie at their home ground to a foreign side.

If the original encounter had been sold afterwards as an unofficial world title, Kocsis was making sure that the rematch saw him wrestle his piece of the belt back, even managing to produce a headed goal on the night.

It’s difficult to tell for sure, but it’s equally easy to infer a great deal from his three-goal haul against Wolves. He probably saw it as his opportunity to prove himself, remind the world of his quality and finally move on to bigger and brighter things. 
 

A remarkable striker who played such a starring role in Hungary’s most fertile period in football before going on to carve out a wonderful club career, it’s sad to think that Kocsis is still, in a way, trying to prove his worth.

Not largely viewed as a generation-defining figure, due in part to his low-key nature and dislike of the limelight, and widely seen now as Ronaldo’s next target, Kocsis might not get singled out the proper way as much as he should, but nothing can erase the history he created, the goals he scored or the unlikely path he beat en route to his own unique corner of greatness.

By Trevor Murray  @TrevorM90

With thanks to Gergely Marosi and @aspiring_bear for their expertise.

Edited April 27, 20215 yr by erskblue

 Jairzinho

www.footballwhisphers.com

In recent years, we’ve become accustomed to seeing records broken on an almost weekly basis.

But, just as French striker Just Fontaine’s high mark of 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup has never been surpassed, Brazilian winger Jairzinho’s record of scoring in every match of a World Cup finals has not been matched since he became only the second player to do so in 1970 – Alcides Ghiggia, the star of Uruguay’s 1950 team, is the other.

Since Jairzinho’s magnificently consistent campaign in Mexico 46 years ago, 11 World Cup tournaments have been held – with such legendary goal-getters as Gerd Müller, Marco van Basten and Gabriel Batistuta all featuring – yet no player has been able to replicate the Brazilian’s feat of scoring in his nation’s opening game, the final, and every fixture in between.

Ronaldo came close in 2002 when he netted eight times to help the Seleção claim their fifth title, but the former Barcelona and Internazionale striker failed to score against England in the quarter-final.

As a young man, Jairzinho idolised Garrincha, the legendary bow-legged wing wizard of Brazil’s 1958 and 62 World Cup triumphs – and he would eventually play alongside, then replace, the great dribbler for both club and country.

Jairzinho made his debut for Rio de Janeiro club Botafogo as teenager, playing as a striker with Garrincha on the wing. Whenever Garrincha was injured and unable to play, Jairzinho would replace him on the right wing – his favourite position – and when Garrincha left the Lone Star to join Corinthians in 1965, Jairzinho made the right-wing role his own.

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It was a similar story at international leveL, with Garrincha unavailable, Jairzinho made his Seleção debut as a 19-year-old against Portugal in 1964. When the 1966 World Cup in England came around, Garrincha had returned to the side and Jairzinho was forced to play on the left, reducing his effectiveness. But after the tournament, Garrincha announced that he was hanging up his international boots, and the right-wing slot was bequeathed to Jairzinho.

In a 15-year stay with Botafogo, Jairzinho made 413 appearances and scored an impressive total of 186 goals. In 1974, a short, ill-fated spell in Europe followed with Olympique Marseille, but the Brazilian struggled to settle in France and made just 18 appearances (9 goals) for Olympique.

He returned to Brazil to join Cruzeiro, where he formed part of a Copa Libertadores-winning Cruzeiro side in 1976, playing alongside fellow Brazilian internationals Dirceu Lopes and Nelinho.

Jairzinho featured in the 1974 World Cup, scoring twice, but was unable to inspire Brazil to retain their title without the influence of the great Pelé. The 1-0 defeat to Poland in the third place play-off would be Jairzinho’s last appearance for the national side until he participated in a friendly match held in his honour in March 1982 – rounding off an international career which spanned 81 appearances, 31 goals and a World Cup winners’ medal.

The final significant spell of Jairzinho’s club career came in Venezuela, where he helped Portuguesa set a record of 16 consecutive victories on their way to winning a fourth of five straight domestic titles.

Jairzinho’s career was long and successful, on both a personal and collective level. But his time on the pitch will forever be defined by that one glorious summer at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. The Brazilian side that he was a part of are still widely regarded as the greatest football team ever assembled; their almost iridescent gold shirts glistening under the baking Mexican sun. Jairzinho, Pelé, Tostão, Gerson, Rivelino and Carlos Alberto would inspire generations of young footballers with their effortless finesse and samba skills.

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On a personal level, the 1970 World Cup got off to a perfect start for Jairzinho, as he bagged a brace – including a magnificent solo effort in which he beat three defenders before firing into the bottom corner – in Brazil’s 4-1 demolition of Czechoslovakia, adding to earlier strikes from Pelé and Rivelino.

Jairzinho’s next goal was perhaps his most iconic, as he scored the only goal of a narrow group stage victory over reigning world champions England. Bobby Moore and Gordon Banks may have famously been able to thwart Pelé’s goal-scoring endeavours, but the Three Lions were powerless to prevent Jairzinho from rifling the ball into the roof of the net after a measured lay-off from the iconic No.10.

Brazil made it three wins from three group stage matches by beating Romania 3-2 to progress to the quarter-final; Jairzinho’s 22^nd minute strike was sandwiched by a Pelé double.

Jairzinho then scored the final goal of the Seleção’s 4-2 win over Peru to progress to the semi-final, where they would meet Uruguay. After falling behind to Luis Cubilla’s 19^th minute goal, Brazil supporters feared a repeat of their devastating 1950 World Cup final defeat on home soil to La Celeste. But Mario Zagallo’s men remained calm and fought their way to a 3-1 victory – Jairzinho scoring Brazil’s second in 76^th minute.

In the final, Brazil outclassed a strong Italy side, winning by a comfortable scoreline of 4-1. Their fourth goal, scored by captain Carlos Alberto at the culmination of a wonderful team move, may be the most replayed moment of the final, but Jairzinho’s strike – latching onto a Pelé knockdown to smash the ball home from six yards – wrote the winger into the history books.

Having scored in each of Brazil’s seven games, and notching a total of eight goals in the tournament, Jairzinho secured his status as a bona fide World Cup legend.

Jairzinho. The best goals and skills.

Kings of 1970 Jairzinho.