Behind the Curtain | Eastern European draft | The winner: Skizzo

Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B.Vukas 5. C. Dinu
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. Krasimir Balakov
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugovic
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzanszky 4. M. Đukić
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A Puc
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondrus
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stankovic
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner

@Moby
 
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green_smiley said:
Left my pick with @Downcast
Click to expand...

I got it. Thanks
 
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Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B.Vukas 5. C. Dinu
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugovic
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzanszky 4. M. Đukić
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A Puc
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondrus
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stankovic
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner

@Downcast @green_smiley
 
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Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugovic
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzanszky 4. M. Đukić
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A Puc
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondrus
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stankovic
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner

@Skizzo
 
Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugovic
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzanszky 4. M. Đukić
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A Puc
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondrus
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stankovic
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner
 
Interesting article on Sandor Kocsis, for anyone interested.

It compares him to Puskas, and highlights the fact that Kocsis had a better international record in terms of goals per game (75 goals in 68 games), and that Kocsis was the top scorer in the 1954 world cup with 11, and suggests that he is not really taken into account in GOAT debates much because of the fact that he was always in Puskas' shadow.

Obviously Puskas has the individual awards and a better club career overall, and they were diffferent types of players, but the point is that Kocsis at his best was not a long way behind him.

The Hungarian national football side of the 1950s was one of the most brilliant groups of men ever assembled on a football pitch. Hailed as the ‘Golden Team’ or the ‘Mighty Magyars’ by those who watched them, they are widely regarded as the greatest national side to have never won a World Cup.

The Magyars set records throughout the 1950s, surprising everyone by dominating the international stage despite their reputation as a small, emerging football nation. To this day they remain the side with the most consecutive games scoring at least one goal – they netted in 73 games from 1949 to 1957. The team also spent the longest time undefeated in the 20th and 21st centuries, a span of 4 years and 1 month from June 4th 1950 to July 4th 1954.

In 1952 Hungary won Olympic gold in Helsinki, and followed that up in 1953 by becoming Central European Champions after topping the table with 11 points. Between 1950 and 1956, the team recorded 42 victories, 7 draws and just a single defeat, which unfortunately came in the 1954 World Cup final against West Germany.

The golden boy of this ‘Golden Team’ was undoubtedly Ferenc Puskás. As the nation’s all-time leading goal scorer, his name is synonymous with the excellence of Hungarian football. Even the national stadium, Ferenc Puskás Stadium, reminds the world of their country’s most famous star.

Puskás’ name is almost always dropped in discussions vis-à-vis the greatest players of all time. He was named World Soccer Player of the Year in 1953, European Player of the 20th century by French sports newspaper L’Equipe and is the only Hungarian listed in the prestigious FIFA 100 list. It is obvious, then, that he is hands down the single greatest player to come out of Hungary. Right?

Wrong.

While there is no doubt that Puskás is one of the greatest players of the 20th century and a true football icon, even he was outdone by another Hungarian in that great side of the 1950s: Sándor Kocsis.

From time to time in the football world, great football players are forgotten and their achievements diminished in the shadow of more popular teammates. It happened to Garrincha when the loveable Pele emerged as a star in the 1960s Brazil team, and it also plagued Karl-Heinz Rummenigge when the spotlight shifted to Lothar Matthäus in the German sides of the 1980s.

This curse is one shared by Sándor Kocsis: to be overlooked and underrated because he shared the stage with one of the most famous players of his generation. However, while Kocsis’ career wasn’t filled with player-of-the-century awards like Puskás’ was, it was arguably just as spectacular.

And his is a story that is certainly worth telling.

Biography

Born in Budapest in September 1929, Sándor Kocsis Peter began his playing career with KTC. After moving to struggling Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros in 1945, the striker helped his new club develop and, as the focal point of the side, helped them win the 1949 Hungarian title at the tender age of 19.

By the time he was conscripted to the army in 1950, Kocsis had scored 70 goals in just 94 matches, and all before he reached 21 years of age. As an infantryman, he joined the newly created army team Honved, and it was there that he established one of the great partnerships of the 20th century with Puskas. The duo helped the club to three league titles in just six years, and would go on to change the face of Hungarian football.

Kocsis and Puskás were incredibly effective together because they were completely different. Puskás was one of the most technically gifted players of his age, combining agility, ball control and a razor sharp footballing brain to dazzle defenders.

Kocsis, on the other hand, was a less refined talent. A bigger man than his partner, Kocsis was a powerful forward and a superb header of the ball. His talents in the air led him to the catchy and affectionate nickname “The Man with the Golden Head“.

However, while Puskás was regarded as the more skilful player, that did not stop Kocsis from being equally prolific. He finished as top goal scorer in the Hungarian league on three occasions; in 1951, 1952 and 1954, scoring 30, 36 and 33 goals respectively. During the 1952 and 1954 seasons, he was the most productive goal scorer on the planet in first division football, a feat the great Puskás only accomplished once.

In 1957, Kocsis moved away from his home nation when the Hungarian revolution began. As a refugee, he spent one uneventful season with Young Fellows Zürich in Switzerland before he was persuaded to join Spanish giants FC Barcelona. There he would go on to win two La Liga titles, including the domestic double in his first season.

With 272 goals in 325 matches in a career spanning 22 years, Kocsis retired in 1966 at the ripe age of 37. After coaching spells with Hercules and Alicante, he was diagnosed with leukaemia and then stomach cancer in the mid-1970s, and died in 1978 after falling from a hotel balcony. It is unknown whether he committed suicide or if it was simply an accident.

Crafting a legacy

While Kocsis and Puskás were prolific players both together at Honved and then separately in their careers in Spanish football, the pair’s legacy was truly established whilst playing together for the Hungarian national team.

The pair dominated world football as a true partnership in the 1950s, but it is Puskás alone who is remembered outright as Hungary’s most clinical forward. After all, he is the nation’s all-time leading goal scorer. His staggering 84 goals in just 85 games in international play for the Magyars was the most in international football by any player in the 20th century, and the second most of all time behind Iran’s Ali Daei.

Having said that, there is an argument that Puskás only scored more goals than Kocsis because he began his international career before his strike partner did.

Both men ended their international careers with Hungary at the same time in 1956. As the Hungarian Revolution broke out in their home nation, the pair (along with many others) decided to abandon their country of birth as refugees. The Hungarian national side was, alas, no more.

Puskás began his international career in 1945, while Kocsis only earned his first cap in 1948. This gave Puskás an extra three years of play, amounting to 17 games more than Kocsis would ever manage. It is for this reason, and not talent, that Puskás is Hungary’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Kocsis, believe it or not, was actually the more clinical striker of the two. He scored an amazing 75 goals in just 68 games for Hungary, which is the second best goal scoring average of any international player in history behind Denmark’s Poul Nielsen. He averaged 1.103 goals per game against Nielsen’s 1.37, but played over 30 more games than the Dane and against much stiffer opposition.

Taking the world stage

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Kocsis’ goal scoring record was his knack for netting on big occasions. In the 1954 World Cup, Kocsis scored a hat-trick in the opening game against Sweden, before bagging four goals against eventual champions Germany in an 8-3 win. With those performances, he became the first man ever to score two hat-tricks in a single World Cup (and one of only four men since – the others being Just Fontaine, Gianfranco Zola and Gerd Muller).

Kocsis then followed that by propelling the Magyars to the World Cup final with a clinching brace in extra time against the reigning world champions, Uruguay. Although Hungary eventually lost the final to West Germany, Kocsis wrote his name all over the record books with his magnificent campaign.

He would finish the competition as top goal scorer, taking home the Golden Boot with 11 goals in just five matches and breaking Ademir’s record of 10 goals set only four years earlier. He is still the second highest scorer in a single World Cup behind France’s Just Fontaine, and one of only 12 men with double digit goals in a single edition of the World Cup. His 2.2 goal per game average in single World Cup edition is still unbeaten.

Better than Puskas?

All things considered, it would not be outrageous to suggest that Kocsis is the greatest goal scorer that international football has ever seen. Only five players in history have scored more goals for their country: Puskás, Iran’s Ali Daei, Japan’s Kunishige Kamamoto, Zambia’s Godfrey Chitalu, and Brazilian legend Pelé. All five of those players played in far more games than Kocsis did.

However, when the question of the world’s finest goal scorers is raised, the great Hungarian is ignored in favour of names like Pele, Muller and his more celebrated teammate Puskás. Is that fair? Wasn’t Kocsis the more prolific player, at least statistically? After all, when Puskás and Kocsis took to the field together, the record books show that it was Kocsis who was more likely to find the back of the net.

It is perhaps too simplistic to say that by virtue of his better goal scoring ratio, Kocsis is a better player than Puskás. Finding the net is not the only mark of a great footballer. For those who weren’t around in the 1950s, the best indicator of a player’s true talent is in his reputation and his accolades. With that in mind, it is highly likely that Ferenc Puskás was indeed a better footballer than Sándor Kocsis. People don’t call him the greatest of all time for no reason.

Remembering a forgotten legend

While Kocsis may not have been the player that Puskás was, the history books don’t lie. He is still the 6th highest scorer ever in international football, and the single most prolific international striker of all time by ratio. Yet for some inexplicable reason those records seem to be disregarded.

It is unclear why Kocsis has drifted from football memory. Perhaps it was because in his side’s finest moment, a 6-3 thrashing of England at Wembley Stadium, the big forward failed to get on the score sheet and was outdone by his teammates, Puskás and Nándor Hidegkuti. Hidegkuti scored a memorable hat-trick that day, while Puskás netted the most iconic goal of his career, fashioning the ‘drag-back’ move and embarrassing captain Billy Wright before powering the ball home.

Whatever the case may be, while Puskás is lauded as an icon of football history, with a stadium bearing his name stood proudly in his nation’s capital, Kocsis remains ludicrously and tragically forgotten. That isn’t right.

Sándor Kocsis was the second best player and the single greatest goal threat on one of the greatest international football teams to have ever played the game. He scored hat-tricks in World Cups, set scoring records and dominated opponents for his entire 23-year career. He was the Chris Sutton to Puskas’ Alan Shearer; the Dennis Bergkamp to his Thierry Henry.

Kocsis may not be Ferenc Puskás, but he will forever be one of the greatest strikers to ever play the game. He will always be “The Man with the Golden Head“, and for that he deserves to be remembered.
 
Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugović
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzánszky 4. M. Đukić
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A. Puč
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondruš
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stanković
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner

@Skizzo
 
Bit of an odd argument he's putting forth there. Puskas is the greatest, right? Wrong. And then he goes on to pretty much conclude that it's actually right, after all.

Unless - and that's his only proper argument - being a more efficient finisher makes him the greater player. Which is a proper but highly dubious argument - and he admits as much himself. The Rummenigge/Matthäus comparison seems pretty far fetched too. There's, what, six years between 'em, and you can hardly compare 'em directly as players either.

Still, nice of him to highlight a player who is no doubt somewhat underrated when all's said and done.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
Bit of an odd argument he's putting forth there. Puskas is the greatest, right? Wrong. And then he goes on to pretty much conclude that it's actually right, after all.
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He probably means "unquestionably greatest"?
 
Chesterlestreet said:
Bit of an odd argument he's putting forth there. Puskas is the greatest, right? Wrong. And then he goes on to pretty much conclude that it's actually right, after all.

Unless - and that's his only proper argument - being a more efficient finisher makes him the greater player. Which is a proper but highly dubious argument - and he admits as much himself. The Rummenigge/Matthäus comparison seems pretty far fetched too. There's, what, six years between 'em, and you can hardly compare 'em directly as players either.

Still, nice of him to highlight a player who is no doubt somewhat underrated when all's said and done.
Click to expand...
Yeah the article seems to go around in circles a little bit, but eventually comes to a fair conclusion.

I think I'll lead with the Chris Sutton comparison in my first game though.
 
Anyway, just to muse some further on Kocsis, he probably is a bit of a forgotten man given how bloody good he was: He's obviously behind Puskas in terms of recognition, that's one thing (and a pretty obvious thing at that) - but he's also behind Hidegkuti (who has the whole false nine business going for him to boost his status) and Bozsik (who ranks among the truly standout central midfielders on most people's lists).

But his finishing, which the guy focuses on, has surely never been underrated as such. If he's known at all by the regular fan (the regular fan who is interested in football history to some degree, I mean), he's known precisely as a great finisher, and arguably the greatest aerial specialist of all time.
 
ohh almost forgot, skizzo:o:o:o:o:o
Brilliant pick mate, one of the most underrated players from yugoslavia.
 
The managers have the time to read the players profiles during the drafting process so let's present our players.
 
Bernard 'Bajdo' VUKAS - Croatia

Da se ponovno rodim, vjerojatno bih opet bio igrač Hajduka”-“If I were born again, I would probably return as a Hajduk player”

These are the words of Bernard ‘Bajdo’ Vukas – which can be seen engraved upon his tombstone – whose name is equally revered by those who never saw him play just as much as by those that did. Born on May 1st 1927 in the Trešnjevci district of Zagreb, in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Vukas’ early life saw him eventually grow up to be a Dinamo Zagreb supporter. This was in no small part down to the intervention of his father, Vinko, who it is said, took his belt to his 10-year-old ‘fakin’ or ‘urchin’ son for daring to follow Partizan Belgrade instead.

His aptitude for the game was spotted early on, and in 1938, aged 11, ‘Bajdo’ was recruited by HŠK Concordia where his development continued alongside some of the pioneers of post-war Yugoslav football. Concordia won the Croatian championship in 1942 but were dissolved in 1945 which led to Vukas moving on to play for NK Zagreb in a regional Croatian league until 1947. But it would be his next move to Hajduk Split that would lay the foundations of his immortalisation in the annals of Croatian sporting history.

Before he settled on the picturesque Dalmatian coast, the coaches from his boyhood heroes Dinamo, who were not oblivious to the blossoming talents of the slightly-built youngster, invited Vukas on a tour of Bulgaria, and although he scored for his beloved Blues in a friendly match, they surprisingly decided not to sign him up. Hajduk legend, Frane Matošić, took advantage of Dinamo’s mistake and smuggled Vukas in clandestine fashion by train to Split to play in some friendlies. Professionalism was outlawed by the Communist authorities and Hajduk could have found themselves in significant trouble had they been caught moving Vukas to Split just for the purposes of playing football. Vukas appeared in the friendlies listed rather suspiciously as ‘young left winger’.

Bajdo’s impact in Split was immediate. His new club improved from their previous year’s final placing of fourth to a runners-up finish in 1947-48. Off the pitch however, Vukas felt like something of an outsider initially and was considered somewhat middle class in the more proletarian surroundings of Split. He once said, “I had a feeling they didn’t approve of my manners. If I hadn’t been really good, I doubt they would have ever accepted me.”

The form Vukas displayed that first season earned him a call-up to the Yugoslavian squad for the first post-war Olympics in London. Vukas failed to make the starting eleven for any of the competition’s early rounds including the semi-final victory against the hosts Great Britain, who were managed by Manchester United boss, Matt Busby.

Vukas would make his one and only appearance at the 1948 games in the final at Wembley Stadium, replacing the Yugoslavian League’s top scorer in the line-up. However, there would be no fairytale ending for the Yugoslavs as they were defeated 3-1 by the excellent Swedish team of Gunnar Gren and Niels Liedholm who were managed by Englishman, George Raynor. For Bajdo, the silver medal won in London was just the beginning and would be the first of many accolades achieved over the following prize-laden decade.

Two years after the London Olympics, Vukas was an integral member of the Hajduk team that went through the entire 1949-50 season unbeaten en route to winning the club’s third national title, a feat unequalled either before or since. He was called up again for national team duty that summer when Yugoslavia participated in the first FIFA World Cup to take place after the Second World War. Following two impressive group stage victories, Vukas and his colleagues were eliminated after losing to hosts, Brazil, in their third group game. With just one country to advance from each group to the final round-robin phase, the classy Yugoslavs departed early from South America alongside the likes of Italy and England.

By 1952, Hajduk, Yugoslavia and Vukas were really beginning to make their name in world football. For ‘Bajdo’, another league championship was secured at club level and representative honours were gained yet again, this time at the summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. The 1952 games are famous for the birth of Hungary’s ‘Mighty Magyars’ of Puskas, Kocsis, Hidegkuti and Czibor, but Yugoslavia were a match for anyone with their own stars Bobek, Čajkovski and of course, Vukas, whose creativity and exquisite dribbling skills were at the heart of their attacking force. By this time, not only had Vukas begun to attract acclaim both at home and abroad, but he acquired the nickname ‘Žuti Pes’ or ‘Yellow Dog’ possibly given to him by Hajduk’s newly formed supporter group,Torcida.

In the preliminary round, Yugoslavia faced India, who had chosen to play the game without boots. Unsurprisingly, the Europeans ran amok against their witless opponents and recorded a 10-1 victory; ‘Bajdo’ contributing two of his side’s goals. Their first round game against the Soviet Union would turn out to be even more dramatic. After barely an hour of play, Vukas and co. led 5-1 only to be stung by an incredible Soviet comeback. Four goals in the last 15 minutes sent the game to extra time and eventually a replay, which the Yugoslavs won 3-1.

Vukas scored in Yugoslavia’s 5-3 win over Denmark in the quarter-final and he was again instrumental in the semi-final victory against Germany. This set up a fascinating gold medal match with their fellow competitors from behind the ‘Iron Curtain’, Hungary. The Hungarian side was virtually the same as the one that would devastate England at Wembley, 6-3 in 1953, and the same team that would enter the 1954 World Cup as the favourites before losing to West Germany in the final, 3-2, in the match dubbed ‘the Miracle of Bern’. Despite Yugoslavia’s undoubted quality, they lost no shame in defeat and had to settle for their second successive Olympic silver medal, losing 2-0 to late goals by Puskas and Czibor.

The following year, Vukas earned even greater personal recognition on the global stage when he was invited to play for a FIFA Rest of the World XI against England, again at Wembley, where he had won the first of his two Olympic silver medals. The match was arranged as a celebration of the 90th year of the English Football Association and he was chosen along with his Yugoslavian contemporaries Branko Zebec and Zlatko Čajkovski in a side that also included Sweden’s Gunnar Nordahl , Austrian Gerhardt Hannappi and the Czech, Ladislav Kubala. The great Ferenc Puskas could only make the substitutes bench, but ‘The Galloping Major’ would return to Wembley just a month later to wreak havoc for Hungary in the aforementioned rout of the Three Lions.

Vukas starred for the Rest of the World, creating two goals and earning a penalty in an exciting 4-4 draw – England’s Alf Ramsey scored a last minute equaliser. A year earlier in Yugoslavia, another 4-4 draw remains part of Vukas folklore. Hajduk were losing 4-0 to Lokomotiva at half time and an enraged Vukas tore into his team mates in the dressing room. Vukas led his team’s comeback with a hat-trick and an assist in the second half, earning the club a draw from the most impossible of positions. It is this incredible determination and fighting spirit that gave birth to Vukas’ enduring endearment to the Croatian public.

Vukas featured for Yugoslavia in another World Cup finals in 1954, losing to winners West Germany in the quarter-final. He returned to the United Kingdom for another of his finest moments in 1955 – the year he won his third and final national championship and topped the Yugoslavian goalscoring charts – as part of a UEFA XI that took on a Great Britain select team at Windsor Park, Belfast. The game was to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Irish Football Association. Vukas won another Man-of-the-Match award for his performance after scoring a hat trick in the 4-1 win for the UEFA side.

In 1957, Vukas was lured to Italy, transferring to Bologna. Unfortunately his two year stint in Serie A was disrupted by illness and having been limited to just 45 appearances and two goals, Vukas returned home to Hajduk. He had also fallen out of favour with the national squad and after 1957 he failed to add to his 59 international caps and 22 goals. The second spell with Hajduk lasted four years but never reached the heights of his heyday in the early 1950’s. Now well into his thirties, Vukas tried his hand in Austrian football between 1963 and 1967 with Grazer AK, Kapfenberger SV and Klagenfurt, all with limited success. After one final season at Hajduk, Vukas finally hung up his boots in 1968, aged 41.

After his football career ended, Vukas returned to live in Zagreb where he sparred amiably with friends, colleagues and journalists about the rivalry between Hajduk and Dinamo but such was the admiration for Vukas in Croatia’s biggest two cities, that he has streets named after him in each.

Even after his death in 1983, aged just 55-years-old, his legend lives on. Renowned not only for his extraordinary skill and dribbling ability, his never-say-die approach won the respect of a nation and in two separate polls in 2000, he was voted Croatia’s greatest footballer by the national association and the country’s greatest ever athlete by Večernji List, Croatia’s leading daily newspaper – impressive considering the competition that went before and after independence.

Debate rages in Croatia today as to whether Vukas would be suited to the physically demanding and overtly tactical football of modern times, but many agree that his prodigious vision, skill and technique allied to his voracious winning mentality could see him succeed in any era. Comparisons have even been made to a certain Lionel Messi. Not bad for an ‘urchin’ from the back streets of Zagreb.

By Mark Godfrey

200px-Spomenik_Bernardu_Vukasu,_Poljud,_Split_20131015_123448.jpg


Statue of Vukas, in front of Poljud stadium, Split

National team

He played 59 games between 1948 and 1957 for the Yugoslav national team and scored 22 goals. He was also a part of the Yugoslavian team in the 1950 and 1954 FIFA World Cups.

Achievements
  • Yugoslav league
    • titles three times, 1950, 1952 and 1955, whereupon the championship of 1950 was achieved without a defeat. This record is still alive.
  • Twice the Yugoslav national team including Bernard Vukas won the silver medal at the Olympic Games (1948 and 1952).
  • In the 1954–55 season, he led the Yugoslav league as the top goalscorer, with 20 goals.
  • He played 615 games for Hajduk Split and scored 300 times.
  • On 21 October 1953, he played in Wembley for the "Rest of the World" team against England. The final result was 4–4.
  • On 13 August 1955, he was invited to play for the UEFA team (Continental Team) in Belfast against Great Britain. The game ended 4–1 with a hat trick by Vukas.
  • He was also a part of the Yugoslavia team in the 1950 FIFA World Cup and 1954 FIFA World Cup.
  • In 2000 he was elected for the best Croatian football player of all times.
 
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Branko ZEBEC - Croatia

Branislav "Branko" Zebec (17 May 1929 in Zagreb, Kingdom of Yugoslavia – 26 September 1988 in Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia) is one of greatest players in Yugoslavian history and is one of the most completed and versatiled footballers of all-time, could play everywhere on the pitch, mostly perform as left-winger but reach world-class status in the late career as center-back.

In his heyday the player from FK Partizan and Red Star Belgrade fascinated the world with his performances at the World Cups in 1954 and 1958. With Partizan he won 3 Yugoslav Cups (1952, 1954, 1957). With Red Star Belgrade he won the national championship in 1960.

True leader, fast thinker, understood the game perfectly. A highly versatile player noted for his physical abilities and understanding of the game, Zebec was world class whether on the left wing or in the more defensive role of left fullback, although he was capable of playing almost every outfield position on the pitch. He was particularly well known for his pace, having been able to run 100m in 11s with football boots.

He was tall (for '40s and '50s), tough and a little bit skinny, but with muscles. He began his senior career when he was only 16 years old. Almost immediately he got chance to play left winger for the first team (instead of much older and experienced players).

Player with great acceleration, speed and mobility. He could run 100m for 11s, in football boots (in the rank with the best Yugoslavian sprinters back in the late '40s and early '50s). Zebec played very good with his head and he was very calm in important moments (for example, when he was 19-20 years old, he scored 3 goals in decisive match for the title, two with his head). Beside the fact he was very, very fast, he was also very strong in duels and practically unstoppable on the left side. Zebec wasn't too sophisticated technical player, but he controlled ball very well with his left leg. In the game he was very brave and rational as well. Never made a move too much, used dribble only when it's necessary. For him, simplicity was a road to perfection (he achieved perfection in many, many games). Zebec really believed in his abilities on the court and he always gave his best in each and every game.

He occasionally played as a little bit defensive CF (very successfully). Against France he played as defensive CF, who had assignment to go back to defense, and guard Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid player at the time). He did that so successfully, that it seemed that Kopa didn't played at all. On the same game he also played very good in the attack, and journalists gave him 10, for his perfect game.

After all that, he was transformed into a CB (but he also continued to play as winger/attacker, wing half and full-back) and he was very good on that position. During the one of the most important games for the national team (qualifications for World Cup 1958), in which Yugoslavia played against Romania he played as CB. Many claim that this was his best game for national team at that position. Every high ball was his (very superior in the air), he won every 1 on 1 play against opposite attacker, also during the game he was in every place in the defense. In one word: Perfection! One of the coaches came to him after the game, grab his shoulder and said: "Are you a man or are you a beast? I've never seen anybody playing the whole 90 minutes so perfect and without any mistake!"

After his first game for national team in CB position (a few games before the one I mentioned before), many foreign journalists and football experts wrote that he's one of the greatest discoveries in CB and libero position (CWP) and that he played in those positions even better than on his original position. Many journalists, football experts, coaches and players, from 1950s, agree that Zebec was the best center-half during that era. Some of them even said, that he should be among Best 11 squad of all times.

After his retirement from football, he became very successful football coach in Bundesliga and coached a few good teams (Bayern Munich - Stayed 2 seasons and won German Championship and Cup in his first season. Eintracht Braunschweig - Stayed 4 seasons and lead the team to 3. and 2. place in German Championship. Hamburger SV - Stayed 2 seasons, won 1 German Championship and lost ECC Finals against Nottingham Forest). In 1988 he died from alcohol related illness, aged only 59. He remains one of the most successful coaches in the history of the German Bundesliga.



00:05 - After the corner Zebec passes the ball with his head and then Bobek scores, also with his head.

00:10 - Milutinović dribbles through Red Star defense, goes on the side, makes a long pass, and then Zebec jumps very high and hammers the ball with his head, with two Red Star defenders on him (you can't see too much on the video, except the goal, but thrust me, I spoke to a few old Partizan fans, and they described this situation like that, before I found it on youtube; older fans remember this game particularly, because it was the highest victory against Red Star/Crvena Zvezda, 7-1 was the score).

(Zebec makes back-heel pass, then runs in to the left side of the penalty box, sees *** is in the right, makes a long pass, *** shots and that's a goal. - This part can't be seen because somebody erased original video from youtube and there is only short one.)

00:26 - Čajkovski hits the crossbar, ball comes to one Partizan player and he makes a pass into the center of the penalty box, after one of the Partizan player has unsuccessfully tried a low header, ball comes to Zebec and that's 6-1.

You will notice that Zebec scored 2 goals (one with his head), had 2 assists (during the first pass he first gave the ball to the other player with back-heel pass with his weaker foot (R) and then rushed towards the penalty box). One important note: This game has been played on 13/12/1953, and it was first raining and then snowing (just to mention the conditions).


ADDITIONAL LINKS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branko_Zebec

http://www.reprezentacija.rs/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1647&Itemid=12

http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=44777/index.html

http://www.worldfootball.net/spieler_profil/branko-zebec/
 
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I agree with Chesterlestreet about Kocsis. I don't think the latter suffers from a lack of recognition, especially when we know has was part of that Golden generation that ruled Football.

prath92 said:
Now watch @Skizzo come in and pick the player we have in mind :/
Click to expand...

Now watch 15 bloodthirsty guys come in and pick 28 players before my next turn :/
 
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