Category Archives: Hungary

How one of the most dramatic and jaw-dropping weeks in Irish football history unfolded

Ireland’s players celebrate their dramatic 3-2 win in Hungary on Sunday
“… Troy Parrott’s puffy red eyes and trembling voice captured the elated disbelief of an entire nation. He had just completed a stunning hat-trick in the Republic of Ireland’s 3-2 victory away to Hungary on Sunday night, sealing it with a stoppage-time strike that tore the runners-up’s play-off place in Europe’s Group F away from opponents who needed only a draw to secure it. The sight of Parrott buried beneath an ecstatic mountain of team-mates and coaching staff on the Budapest turf was utterly unthinkable a week ago. After the ignominy of a 2-1 away defeat against Armenia in September — a team ranked 105th in the world then and beaten 9-1 by Portugal yesterday — Ireland needed a sequence of results few believed possible to keep their World Cup hopes alive. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

World Cup qualifying: Germany shocked in Slovakia, but Northern Ireland win

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Slovakia celebrate their second goal in the shock 2-0 win over Germany.
“Germany, four times the champions, suffered their first away loss in a World Cup qualifier after their shock 2-0 defeat by hosts Slovakia in Bratislava on Thursday in Group A. The Germans, who have set a goal of winning the 2026 World Cup, had never before lost a World Cup qualifier on the road in 52 matches, and they have now lost their last three consecutive games, after defeats by Portugal and France in the Nations League in June. … Poland’s Aston Villa full-back Matty Cash fired home a late equaliser to ensure his side held the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw in Rotterdam, a major boost to their hopes and a dent to Dutch ambitions. A thunderous right-footed shot from the English-born defender in the 80th minute was as much as Poland deserved after a strong second-half performance, having been a goal down at half-time. …”
Guardian

Hungary national football team

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“The Hungary national football team represents Hungary in men’s international football, and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation. The team has made nine appearances in the FIFA World Cup, and five in the UEFA European Championship. Hungary plays their home matches at the Puskás Aréna, in Budapest, which opened in November 2019. Hungary has a respectable football history, having won three Olympic titles, finishing runners-up in the 1938 and 1954 World Cups, and third in the 1964 European Championship. Hungary revolutionized the sport in the 1950s, laying the tactical fundamentals of Total Football and dominating international football with the remarkable Golden Team which included legend Ferenc Puskás, one of the top goalscorers of the 20th century, to whom FIFA dedicated the Puskás Award, given annually to the player who scored the ‘most beautiful’ goal of the calendar year. …”
W – Hungary national football team
Scissors Kick: Golden Team (2021)

How West Germany won the 1954 World Cup: Herberger tactics, injured Puskas, group stage mind games?

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“…There are two clear examples in World Cup history of the most exciting team at the tournament, and the neutral’s favourites, being foiled by West Germany in the final. The most obvious example is the Netherlands in 1974, but two decades beforehand, Hungary experienced almost exactly the same thing. If anything, it was even more egregious because this legendary Hungary side had previously destroyed West Germany 8-3 in the group stage — a huge victory, even by the standards of a World Cup that featured a record goals-per-game tally of 5.38. At that point, there seemed little chance anyone would stop the Olympic champions Hungary, let alone the Germans. …”
NY Times/The Athletic – Michael Cox

The Rise of Hungary and the Carpathian Brigade

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Hungary’s ‘Carpathian Brigade’ before a recent game against Bulgaria
“As a Hungarian, who is infatuated with the national team, growing up in the late naughties and early 2010’s, I was not exactly accustomed to seeing my beloved reds represent the country of roughly 10 million people, at a national tournament. Let alone three consecutive tournaments. As a matter of fact, none of us Hungarians, who were alive between 1986 and 2016, were used to seeing the ‘Mighty Magyars’ on the TV, whenever the World Cup was on. In the aforementioned timeframe, the team failed to qualify for a single international tournament. This meant, that, back then, if you were Hungarian, and an avid follower of football, like such a big chunk of this nation’s population happens to be, you had to settle for a different nation’s team, come the World Cup or the Euros. …”
Football Paradise (Sep. 10, 2024)
NY Times/The Athletic: Hungary, Viktor Orban and the weaponisation of a national football team (June 13, 2024)

Euro 2024: Our ranking of all the games in Germany this summer

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“You’ll see plenty of top 10 lists during this European Championship but how about a top 51 Starting today, The Athletic is ranking every game in the competition and we’ll be updating this piece each day. And with the group stage completed, there is already plenty (36) to choose from. Let’s dive in… …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Germany 2 Hungary 0: Nagelsmann’s tactics, Neuer’s revival and hosts through first

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“Host nation Germany are through to the knockout stage of Euro 2024 after a convincing 2-0 win over Hungary in Stuttgart. A 22nd-minute strike from Jamal Musiala put Julian Nagelsmann’s side in front and then captain Ilkay Gundogan made sure of the three points midway through the second half. Hungary didn’t roll over like Scotland did in losing Friday’s tournament opener 5-1, however — with veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer making several key saves to keep Marco Rossi’s side from scoring. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: Manuel Neuer offers Germany glimpses of past brilliance but remains a figure under scrutiny

Hungary 1 Switzerland 3: Duah gamble pays off and Embolo’s comeback – The Briefing

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“Switzerland got their Euro 2024 off to a winning start thanks to a hugely impressive first-half performance from Murat Yakin’s team — and a welcome late return from Breel Embolo. Having gone 2-0 down in the first half, Hungary battled back after the break and halved the deficit through a Barnabas Varga header. There were some nervy moments for the Swiss until Embolo punished Willi Orban for a misplaced header and lifted in a third on his first international appearance since the 2022 World Cup. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian – Breel Embolo: the rebellious Swiss striker with a charitable cause

Euro 2024: A – Germany, Scotland, Switzerland, Hungary

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Germany Euro 2024 team guide: Wirtz and Musiala provide spark but defence is a concern “The manager. It’s strange to talk of a 36-year-old manager or head coach as being in a career recovery phase — and perhaps that is too strong a term — but Julian Nagelsmann is certainly on the rebound after leaving Bayern Munich. Until that sacking in March 2023, Bayern had just seemed like the natural next step of his ascension. It was not to be. Amid grumbling about his clothes, his temper and, in one instance, his skateboarding, the shine came off the penny when he was fired just 18 months on from his appointment. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Scotland Euro 2024 team guide: Greater than the sum of their parts and aiming high “The manager. As the man who took Scotland to their first major tournament in 23 years, Steve Clarke’s legacy was secured the moment David Marshall saved the decisive penalty in the qualification play-off shootout against Serbia in November 2020. Making it to back-to-back Euros has elevated him to certified royalty, but a run into the knockout stages this summer would see him go down as arguably the best manager in Scotland’s history. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Switzerland Euro 2024 team guide: An under-fire manager and an underpowered front line “The manager. Quite a few people in Switzerland are surprised that Murat Yakin is still there. As a playing great for the national team, his appointment in 2021 was welcomed but after being pulverised 6-1 by Portugal in the round of 16 at the World Cup, the last year or so has been a disaster. In their last seven qualifiers, they only beat Andorra and limped to the tournament by finishing second in a weak group. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Hungary Euro 2024 team guide: Solid foundations and Szoboszlai magic cause for hope “The manager. ‘He could be filmed knocking over grandmothers in front of parliament, and people would still love him,’ says one supporter, summarising the popularity of Hungary head coach Marco Rossi. The 59-year-old Italian has been in charge since 2018 — making him the country’s longest-serving coach since the legendary Lajos Baroti in the 1960s, who was the final manager of a golden generation known as the Mighty Magyars. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Ranking the best and worst Euro 2024 home kits: a diaper, a wrestling outfit and a beautiful QR code

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“The European Championships are almost upon us. Where the continent’s best and brightest gather to decide once and for all (or until 2028) who is the top dog. You have probably done all your research on the players and the teams and the tactics, so now it’s time to judge their outfits. And we’ve got some bad news for you folks: this has not been a vintage year for home kits. Too many templates, too many dull shirts, not much to get you excited about. And then there’s the kit that will make the players look like they’re wearing a diaper. So read on, and judge for yourselves…”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024 draw analysis: Spain, Italy, Croatia in toughest group, England happy, France v Netherlands

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“A virtual ‘group of death’ for Spain, Italy and Croatia, a kind draw for England and a juicy meeting between France and the Netherlands were some of the highlights of the Euro 2024 draw. Our expert panel of James Horncastle, Raphael Honigstein, Matt Slater, Dermot Corrigan and Mark Critchley assembled to offer their verdict on what lies ahead in Germany next summer — from the players who can make the tournament their own, which group they consider the toughest, and, crucially, who they are backing to win it. …”
The Athletic
W – UEFA Euro 2024

How Spain won Euro 1964: Unheralded manager, Franco’s approval and Luis Suarez

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“This is the second in a series about the 16 triumphant teams in the European Championship ahead of the 17th edition in Germany next year. Last time, the focus was the USSR in 1960. Four years on, Spain are victorious. The previous edition of the European Nations Cup featured the USSR receiving a bye at the quarter-final stage because General Franco was so afraid of them beating Spain on home soil that he ordered the Spanish side to withdraw. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox

Crossing the Danube – the story of the inaugural Mitropa Cup

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“From the late 19th century and into the 1920s, Vienna became what many writers have called a ‘centre of fermentation’, propagated by the cultural and intellectual elite of the city. Ideas, ideaologies, social movements, progressive medicine, music and literature filled the air of Vienna’s cafés and coffee houses. The Vienna Circle, a group of philosophers hell-bent on bringing scientific enlightenment to people, also emerged from the city. Football also benefitted from this culture of cerebral curiosity. …”
Game of the People
Game of the People – Crossing the Danube – the story of the inaugural Mitropa Cup
W – Mitropa Cup
Nations which participated in the Mitropa Cup (1927–1940)

World Cup 2022 news round-up: Nkunku and Lewandowski shine as Argentina put faith in Scaloni

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“Club football is back and with fewer than 50 days for players to find form and fitness before the World Cup kicks off on November 20, Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, Leandro Trossard of Belgium and USA forward Ricardo Pepi laid down a marker at the weekend. Off the pitch, coaches are already being rewarded before the tournament kicks off with Wales extending Rob Page’s contract and Argentina set to keep Lionel Scaloni as head coach until the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. …”
The Athletic

Most Goals Scored in a FIFA World Cup by One Player

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“The only players to score nine or more goals in a single FIFA World Cup did so between 1950 and 1970 – a competition with nearly a century of history cramming its one-tournament stars into two decades. It seems the game’s defensive focus and organisation had yet to catch up to its emerging individual attacking skill. It was a time of free goals, and in some places free love, and if you weren’t around to experience it in person, you’re left with grainy video – and of course the numbers. None of the five players to score that many did it in more than six games while the modern-day format for World Cup tournaments has made it possible for top goalscorers to get seven in should they reach the last four. …”
The Analyst

UEFA Nations League: What to look out for on Matchday 2

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Raheem Sterling, England
“The third edition of the UEFA Nations League has kicked off. The first matchday is done, with five more to come ahead of the final tournament in June 2023. UEFA.com picks out the big fixtures from the Matchday 2 encounters. …”
UEFA Nations League (Video)

Zenit St Petersburg’s Ozdoev strikes late to deprive Chelsea of top spot

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“Once again Thomas Tuchel was left to reflect on Chelsea’s inability to take care of the small details. The European champions are not playing with the right attitude at the moment and although they almost got away with it this time it was not a surprise when they ended up relinquishing top spot in Group H to Juventus after this chaotic draw with Zenit St Petersburg. …”
Guardian
Guardian – Champions League roundup: Atalanta v Villarreal snowed off; Juve top Group H
YouTube: Zenit St Petersburg vs. Chelsea: Extended Highlights | Group Stage

ESPN FC 100: Messi, Lewandowski, Oblak among No. 1s; Premier League has most representatives

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“For the sixth consecutive year, ESPN presents its annual ranking of the best men’s players and coaches in world soccer! Welcome to FC 100. As always, rankings are broken down into Top 10 lists for positions, plus a countdown of managers, in order to present the most meaningful look at talent on the pitch and the sideline. Whereas last year was dominated by Liverpool and Bayern Munich — the clubs combined for eight of the 10 No. 1 spots — the leaders in this year’s edition are spread across six teams, with none having more than two men on top of their respective category. …”
ESPN (Video)
Go to: Goalkeeper | Right-back | Centre-back | Left-back | Central midfield | Attacking midfield | Winger | Forward | Striker | Manager

Portugal on collision course with Italy after Qatar World Cup play-off draw

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“Italy and Portugal have been drawn in the same pathway for the European FIFA World Cup play-offs, meaning only one will be able to secure qualification for next year’s tournament in Qatar. Italy are the defending European champions, after beating England on penalties in the final of Euro 2020 in the summer. Portugal meanwhile won Euro 2016, overcoming France in Paris to win the tournament for the first time. But one — or both — will miss out on a place in Qatar after Friday’s play-off draw. …”
The Athletic

World Cup 2022: ranking the top 10 contenders a year before Qatar

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“With just over a year to go until the World Cup kicks off, 12 teams have qualified alongside hosts Qatar. All four semi-finalists from 2018 have sealed their spots and are joined by former world champions Argentina, Brazil, Germany and Spain, while recent European champions Portugal and Italy still have more to do. With most of the big hitters now able to prepare for the tournament, we assess where they stand as the countdown to Qatar begins. …”
Guardian
The Athletic: CONCACAF World Cup qualifying: Where USMNT, Canada, Mexico and Panama stand with six matches left
World Cup 2022 Power Rankings: France & England the early favourites as Portugal & Italy falter

World Cup 2022 qualification: Who will be in Qatar and who is in play-offs?

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Gareth Southgate’s England are heading to Qatar 2022, while Wales and Scotland have a play-off place secured
“England have qualified for the 2022 World Cup finals while Wales and Scotland are heading to the play-offs along with some surprising names. European champions Italy and Portugal will also have to go through two rounds of play-off games next March after failing to win their respective groups. Heading to the World Cup so far are: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland. The Netherlands, Norway and Turkey are the three teams left who can still qualify automatically. The winners of each group secure a place at the World Cup, with the 10 runners-up joining two Nations League teams in the play-offs, where three further places are up for grabs. …”
BBC

Kisvárda, Hungarian football’s mystery contenders

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“Over the past six years, Budapest-based clubs have won the Hungarian league title, with the country’s biggest name, Ferencváros, crowned champions in the past three seasons. After a period in which the likes of Videoton and Debrecen sat at the top, the capital city has regained its power in the Hungarian game. This season, there is a new challenger in the form of Kisvárda, a provincial club from a small town in the Northern Great Plain region of the country that sits on the Budapest to Ukraine railway line. Kisvárda has a population of 16,500 and was once a strong Jewish town until the second world war. Tragically, many were sent to Auschwitz and as a result, there are very few Jews in Kisvárda today. Kisvárda, which was originally founded in 1911 and now carries the full name Kisvárda Master Good FC, are top of the Hungarian OTP Bank Liga after 10 games, a point ahead of Ferencváros and Puskás Akadémia. …”
Game of the People
W – Kisvárda FC

Portugal in the 21st Century – The Cost of Gold

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Atlas Van der Hage
“The European Championships this summer were a lesson in team play, for both the robust attacking outfits and the overly conservative. Disregarding his country’s catenaccio history, Roberto Mancini looked to dominate play even against the brilliant Spanish, the summer’s premier ball-hoggers, and Italy were crowned eventual tournament winners on the back of brilliant team goals. Roberto Martinez’s Belgium set up with three defenders and focused heavily on attacking play, as did a somewhat lackluster Germany. On the flipside, France were unable to repeat their 2018 triumph with Didier Deschamps sticking to a pragmatic tactical setup. Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions similarly played deep and found few moments of true attacking promise, but their cohesiveness worked wonders. And then there was Portugal. They, like France and England, typically played deep, negative football, but their only respite came from one man, not their teamwork or cohesion. …”
Football Paradise

Jack Grealish must play the system to be an England regular for Southgate

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“Jack Grealish could not hide the frustration. And nor could pockets of the England support inside Wembley on Tuesday night, some of whom booed the decision. There were 62 minutes on the clock, the team were level at 1-1 with Hungary and Gareth Southgate had substituted Grealish, replacing him with Bukayo Saka. The TV cameras lingered on Grealish as he took his seat. The midfielder shook his head before putting it down and running his fingers through his hair. It was the night when Southgate tried a different blend, dispensing with his usual minimum of six defensive-minded outfield starters and going with five whose first instinct is to attack. It was Phil Foden and Mason Mount as the No 8s in the 4-3-3, leaving only Declan Rice in front of the defence, and there is no doubt that it was what the fans had demanded. …”
Guardian
Guardian: Southgate must not ditch newfound attacking intent. Fail again. Fail better the same way
“We didn’t play at the level we need to play” – Five things learned as England slump to a 1-1 draw with Hungary

False 9 / El Clásico

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“… The false 9, in some ways similar to a more advanced attacking midfielder/playmaker role, is an unconventional lone striker or centre-forward, who drops deep into midfield. The purpose of this is that it creates a problem for opposing centre-backs who can either follow the false 9, leaving space behind them for onrushing midfielders, forwards or wingers to exploit, or leaving the false 9 to have time and space to dribble or pick out a pass. The term comes from the traditional number for centre-forwards (nine), and the fact that normally a centre-forward traditionally stayed near the line of defenders until they got an opportunity to move past them toward goal. Key attributes for a false 9 are similar to those of a deep-lying striker: dribbling ability to take advantage of space between the lines, good short passing ability to link up with the midfield and vision to play through teammates making runs from deep to goal. The first false 9 in a World Cup was Juan Peregrino Anselmo in the Uruguay national team, although he could not play the match against Argentina in the 1930 World Cup due to injury. Matthias Sindelar was the false 9 of the Wunderteam, the Austria national team, in 1934. … By the end of 2012, the False 9 had gone “mainstream” with many clubs employing a version of the system. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has been an exponent of the false 9 position to much success in recent years, first under coach Pep Guardiola and later under his successor Tito Vilanova. …”
W – False 9
The Evolution of the False 9 Role
YouTube: What is a False Nine?, Why Is Every Team Using the False 9? | False 9 Tactics Explained
W – El Clásico
How Barcelona lost their soul
Barcelona’s eight greatest Clasicos

Attila Szalai

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“Attila Szalai is catching the eye and attracting interest from some of Europe’s elite clubs. This is the story of how he was discovered in Cyprus. Sitting in a small bar in Mezőkövesd, Petros Konnafis was exhausted and drained. But most of all he was elated. It had taken months and weeks of negotiations and convincing the right people, but finally he had completed the deal he was certain was worth every penny. … When Petros watched Hungary U21s against Cyprus he did not expect to discover a hidden treasure back in 2018. But the more and more he watched the more he felt himself captivated by Hungary’s number 13. …”
The inside story of Attila Szalai: “Hungary’s Virgil Van Dijk” (Video)
W – Attila Szalai
YouTube: Attila Szalai is a BEAST… • Review Season of 2020/21

World Cup roundup: Denmark thrash Moldova to keep up perfect record

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Denmark thrash Moldova
“Denmark maintained their 100% record in Group F, with a 4-0 win in Moldova. Andreas Skov Olsen opened the scoring before Simon Kjær added a penalty. Christian Norgaard and Joakim Mæhle were also on target. Austria won 2-0 in the Faroe Islands to keep up their slim hopes of overtaking Scotland, who beat Israel 3-2 in a Hampden Park thriller. First-half goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk gave Ukraine a 2-1 win over Finland in Group D. The West Ham forward Yarmolenko put the visitors ahead less than five minutes after kick-off when he drove home from 20 yards past the Finnish goalkeeper. Norwich City’s Teemu Pukki levelled for Finland in the 29th minute but Ukraine regained the lead minutes later with a goal from Yaremchuk. …”
Guardian

Spain Loses World Cup Qualifier For The First Time In 66 Matches, 2-1 Against Sweden

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“The Spanish national team tasted defeat for the first time in 28 years in a World Cup qualifying match after they lost to Sweden 2-1 on Friday in Stockholm. Sweden came back from a goal down to defeat Spain who lost a World Cup qualifying match after 66 games undefeated. The defeat means that Spain have lost a World Cup qualifying game after 66 matches and 28 years. During this undefeated run, they also managed to win 10 in a row before the 2010 World Cup which they ended up winning. A defeat that Luis Enrique would not have excepted as his men had done well in the Euro 2020 having made the semi-finals where they lost eventual Champions Italy on penalties. …”
Republic World
YouTube: Sweden stuns Spain 2-1 in World Cup qualifier | WCQ Highlights | ESPN FC
UEFA: European Qualifiers: England and Belgium rampant, Sweden stun Spain

Total Football

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Johan Cruyff playing with Ajax in 1971
“Total Football (Dutch: totaalvoetbal) is a tactical system in association football in which any outfield player can take over the role of any other player in a team. Although Dutch club Ajax and the Netherlands national football team are generally credited with creating this system during the 1970s, there were other sides who had played a similar style before, such as the Austrian Wunderteam of the 1930s, the Argentine side ‘La Maquina‘ of River Plate in the 1940s, the Golden Team of Hungary in the 1950s, English team Burnley in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and Brazilian side Santos in the 1960s. In Total Football, a player who moves out of his position is replaced by another from his team, thus retaining the team’s intended organisational structure. In this fluid system, no outfield player is fixed in a predetermined role; anyone can successively play as an attacker, a midfielder and a defender. The only player who must stay in a specified position is the goalkeeper. …”
Wikipedia
YouTube: Total Football Explained

Golden Team

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W – Gusztáv Sebes, W – Ferenc Puskás
“The Golden Team (Hungarian: Aranycsapat; also known as the Mighty Magyars, the Magical Magyars, the Magnificent Magyars, the Marvellous Magyars, or the Light Cavalry) refers to the Hungary national football team of the 1950s. It is associated with several notable matches, including the ‘Match of the Century‘ against England in 1953, and the quarter-final (‘Battle of Berne‘) against Brazil, semi-final (against Uruguay) and final of the 1954 FIFA World Cup (‘The Miracle of Bern‘). The team inflicted notable defeats on then-footballing world powers England, Uruguay and the Soviet Union, before the 1956 Hungarian Revolution caused the breakup of the side. Between 1950 and 1956, the team recorded 42 victories, 7 draws and just one defeat, in the 1954 World Cup final against West Germany. …”
W – Golden Team, W – Total Football
The greatest teams of all time: Hungary 1950–56
Guardian – Hungary’s Golden Squad: the greatest football team never to win it all?
The Curious Case of Hungarian football
Remembering Josef ‘Pepi’ Bican, once Europe’s greatest goalscorer
The glory of Josef Uridil, the first man to transcend football and celebrity in Austria
Hungary 1950s (Video)
W – Match of the Century (1953 England v Hungary football match), W – Battle of Berne (1954 FIFA World Cup), W – 1954 FIFA World Cup Final

Wunderteam: Hungarian soccer team 1930s

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1930: Beginning of the match.
“Wunderteam (Wonder Team) was the name given to the Austria national football team of the 1930s. Led by manager Hugo Meisl, the team had an unbeaten streak of 14 games between April 1931 and December 1932. The style of the team was based on the Scottish school of football that focused on quick passing introduced by Englishman Jimmy Hogan. The forward line was complemented by wide half-backs and an attacking centre-half. Matthias Sindelar, Josef Bican, Anton Schall, Josef Smistik and Walter Nausch were the referents of the team that would dominate European football during that era. Matthias Sindelar, known as Der Papierene (The Papery Man) due to his slight build, was the star and captain of the team. In the early 1930s, Austria became a very celebrated team in Europe. … The cup was to be Wunderteam’s only championship win. …”
W – Wunderteam
Guardian – World Cup stunning moments: Austria’s Wunderteam go close, YouTube: Matthias Sindelar: The Footballer Who Defied The Nazis
Jimmy Hogan: the English pioneer who set Hungary up for greatness
How Austria’s Wunderteam defied the Nazis for one last act of greatness
Matthias Sindelar: the great pre-war footballer who danced before the Nazis
W – Austria–Hungary football rivalry
W – Jimmy Hogan, W – Béla Guttmann, W – Hugo Meisl, W – Márton Bukovi, W – Gusztáv Sebes, W – Izidor Kürschner

Matthias Sindelar

How Vienna coffee houses gave rise to a new era of intellectualism in football

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Cafe Griensteidl in Wien
“The intellectual scene in football has taken a sharp upturn with the emergence of quality publications over the last half a decade that fearlessly delve into the niche and fascinating aspects of the game that may otherwise be overlooked. Alongside this, the rise of social media has allowed us to engage more intimately with tactical theoreticians and pundits, giving our understanding of the game’s nuances a chance to thrive. Essentially, we know more about football than ever before. It’s hard to imagine that we could trace the emergence of this facet of football culture all the way back to interwar Vienna’s coffee houses. It was here that the game became an intellectual pursuit, not just a sport, and it helped give rise to one of the most ephemerally wonderful international sides of all time. As well as being a movement about the unrelenting desire for growth and development, it was also one marred by tragedy. …”
These Football Times
Coffee Houses of Vienna: Birthplace of Intelligent Football – Jonathan Wilson
Coffee House rules – how football was shaped in Vienna’s cafes
BBC – Dancing over the edge: Vienna in 1914

The Names Heard Long Ago: How the Golden Age of Hungarian Soccer Shaped the Modern Game – Jonathan Wilson

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“Jonathan Wilson’s eleventh book, The Names Heard Long Ago: How The Golden Age of Hungarian Football Shaped The Modern Game, once again sees the celebrated journalist and author delving into a fascinating part of football history, meticulously detailed, thoroughly researched, as one would expect from the architect of the football fanatic’s Bible, Inverting The Pyramid. The Names Heard Long Ago explores the revolutionary concepts found in early 20th Century Hungarian football and the subsequent spread of ideas, tactics and characters around the globe, often granting unprecedented success in the far-reaching countries in which they were adopted, and still found in the game today. It illuminates names of once-great teams MTK and Ferencváros, characters who had a profound influence on the game such as Béla Guttman, Dori Kürschner, and Imre Hirschl. …”
How 20th Century Hungarian Football Influenced The Game We Love Today
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