Personal Data

Known as: Garrincha
Surname: dos Santos
Firstname: Manoel Francisco
Country: Brazil
Date of birth: 1933-10-28
Birthplace: Pau Grande
Died: 1983-01-20
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 68.0 kg

Career Data

Position: Right-wing
Clubs: Pau Grande, Botafogo (1952-66), Corinthians (1966-67), Barranquilla (Col/1967-68), Flamengo (1968-69), Red Star (France/1969-71), Olaria (1972-73)
International appearances: 50
International goals: 12
International debut: 18/09/1955, Brazil-Chile (1-1)
Last international appearance: 15/07/1966, Hungary-Brazil (3-1)
First international goal: 29/04/1960, Egypt-Brazil (0-5)
Last international goal: 12/07/1966, Brazil-Bulgaria (2-0)

Playing Honours

International – World Cup: winner (1958, 1962) first-round (1966), 3 appearances, 12 matches, 5 goals

Club: 3 Rio State Championships (1957, 1961, 1962), 2 Rio/Sao Paulo Championship (1962, 1964)

Biography Little Bird

A garrincha is a small tropical bird, and legend has it that Manoel Francisco Dos Santos liked to hunt garrinchas as a youngster in the backstreets of his village, thus acquiring his nickname.

International defenders and goalkeepers probably called him something less quaint as he darted past them time after time or foxed them with his astonishing “banana” kick, but now the name Garrincha is firmly part of Brazil’s great football legacy.

The Brazilian winger was the eternal child, a spindly, fun-loving character who drove his coaches to distraction. One said he thought he had the mental age of four.

On the pitch he was one of the most exciting ball players ever, thrilling spectators with his exceptional dribbling skills.

Yet it is a miracle he was able to even kick a football, such were the physical and growing problems he had as a boy.

An operation left him with one knee pointing outwards, while his backbone and hip were also affected.

Revelation

Yet Garrincha burst onto the scene at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, dazzling all those who came up against him with a catalogue of feints, dummies and lightening breaks.

His balance and speed made him virtually unstoppable, and his action was so original and quick that few defenders could ever get the better of him.

In 1962 he was at the peak of his considerable and explosive powers at the World Cup in Chile in 1962, when he emerged from the injured Pele’s shadow to inspire his team to the title.

He was voted player of the tournament – despite being sent off in the semi-final against Chile – after scoring twice against both England and the hosts.

Drink problem

His personal life had a darker side and he already had serious problems with alcohol when he arrived in England for the 1966 World Cup.

Always a controversial figure, he caused a storm when he left his wife and eight children to marry a local singer.

He was also in dispute with the income tax authorities and with his club Botafogo over his pay.

He did help the club to five domestic titles but his drinking led to his ruin, and despite several stays in rehabilitation centres and drying out clinics, the Brazilian could never kick the habit.

It finally caught up with him on January 20, 1983 when he contracted pneumonia and died in hospital.

He played 50 times for Brazil, despite several breaks due to injury, ending his career at the 1966 World Cup against Hungary (1-3), his only defeat with the national side.

Personal Data

Surname: Walter
Firstname: Fritz
Country: West Germany
Date of birth: 1920-07-21
Birthplace: Kaiserslautern (Germany)
Died: 2002-06-17

Career Data

Position: Midfield
Club: FC Kaiserslautern (1937-59)
International appearances: 61 (1940-1958 – 30 times as captain)
International goals: 33
International debut: 17/07/1940, Germany-Romania (9-3, 3 goals)
Last international appearance: 24/06/1958, West Germany-Sweden (1-3)
First international goal: 14/07/1940, Germany-Romania (9-3, 3 goals)
Last international goal: 26/05/1956, West Germany – England (1-3)

Playing Honours

International: World Cup: winner (1954), semi-finalist (1958), 2 appearances, 11 matches, 2 goals

Other honours: Top scorer (1953/38 goals)

Biography

Miracle man

Fritz Walter, former footballer, honorary citizen of Rhineland Palatinate and holder of the prestigious Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, was one of the great pillars of the German game and an example to millions of young German sportsmen.

He was also a reference of the great moments in Germany’s illustrious footballing history, having led his country to victory in the World Cup in 1954 with an inspired performance against the erstwhile giants of world football, Hungary.

Walter was part of the furniture at his only club Kaiserslautern. His father was in charge of the club’s bar, which meant that as a boy he and his four brothers had easy access to the stands. At the age of eight he began playing in the junior sides and by the time he was 17 was playing for the first team.

Club loyalty was more common then, but even so, 31 years with the same team is impressive by any standards. Kaiserslautern were not complaining…Walter played 379 matches for them and put the ball in the back of the net no less than 306 times.

Stymied by the war

By the age of 20 he had been called up for international duty and played one game for Germany in Romania in 1940. But by then the fighting in Europe had taken over everyone’s lives and Walter found himself sucked into the vast German war machine, ending up as a prisoner of war in a Soviet camp.

Happily he survived that ordeal, returning to Germany and Kaiserslautern in 1945. The club reached the final of the first post-war German Cup In 1948 and Walter scored.

The years between 1950 and 1954 were wonderfully fertile for the German. Apart from two league championships with his beloved Kaiserslautern, Walter was not only captain but master craftsman of Germany’s extrordinary victory in the 1954 World Cup.

Family affair

The win was all the more remarkable because the Germans had been on the wrong end of an 8-3 hiding by the Hungarians earlier in the tournament. In the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, Walter brought his international career to a close after West Germany’s 3-1 defeat by Sweden in the semi-finals.

A measure of his huge reputation and prestige of this great tactical player at Kaiserslautern is that the club named their stadium after him on his 65th birthday in 1985. He died during the 2002 World Cup at the age of 81 and the German team wore black armbands as a tribute during their quarter-final win over the United States. – AFP

Peter Shilton showed so much early promise that he pushed aside the great Gordon Banks as a Leicester City teenager before building a monumental career that rivals even that of Banks for the bragging rights as the best goalkeeper ever to play for England.

He remains the most capped player to ever appear for England with a staggering tally of 125, appeared in three World Cups, won two European Cups and played in over 1000 matches over a 30-year career.

Those are just some of the stats which underline his status as a goalkeeping legend although he left the game without winning a major international trophy and suffered a gut wrenching loss in the ‘Hand of God’ quarter-final defeat to Maradona’s Argentina in 1986.

Four years later in another World Cup classic, he left the international stage for good following an equally painful semi-final elimination in a penalty shoot-out at the hands of Germany.

Had England not failed to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, his international figures would be significently higher than 17 tournament matches and a shared record of 10 clean sheets with Frenchman Fabien Barthez.

It all began as a 13-year-old apprentice at his hometown club Leicester City where he made his first team debut as a 16-year-old and soon after convinced team management to sell Banks on to Stoke Ciy and place their future in Shilton.

In 1970, Alf Ramsey gave him his first cap in the England goal in a 3-1 victory over East Germany which coincided with Leicester’s promotion to the first division.


Glory days under Clough

After 12 years with City, he followed Banks to Stoke for three seasons before Brian Clough paid 250,000 pounds to bring him to Nottingham Forest where he had his greatest success.

The team remarkably won the old first division in 1978 on their first season back in the top flight, Shilton conceded just 18 goals in 37 matches and he picked up the gong as Player of the year.

A year later at Munich a single Trevor Francis goal against Malmo of Sweden sealed the European Cup for Forest, and as the old adage says, strikers win matches, defences win trophies.

The next season it was a similar picture as Forest made it two on the trot by edging Hamburg 1-0 in Madrid when England captain Kevin Keegan was on the opposing side for the German club.

Ron Greenwood was now in charge of England and Shilton won a prolonged battle for the number one job after fighting off competition from Liverpool’s Ray Clemence.

Open Image

He only made his World Cup debut in 1982 when England exited the tournament without losing a match in Spain which preceeded the 1986 quarter-final when Maradona punched the ball over Shilton in one of the most famous incidents in football. So famous in fact it overshadowed one of the greatest goals ever scored at a World cup, Maradona’s second against England, a mazy run past six defenders and Shilton too before slotting home from a tight angle.

Following Italia 90, where Germany broke English hearts and Paul Gascoigne inspired “Gazzamania”, Shilton’s career wound down until his retirement in 1997 where he quit the game with 1005 appearances and spells at 11 clubs.

He was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire), had well documented problems with gambling and is now a popular after dinner speaker. © 2010 AFP

Personal Data

• Surname: Shilton
• Firstname: Peter
• Country: England
• Date of birth: 1949-09-18
• Birthplace: Leicester
• Height: 185 cm

Career Data

• Position: goalkeeper

Clubs

• Leicester City (1966-1974)
• Stoke City (1974-1977)
• Nottingham Forest (1977-1982)
• Southampton (1982-1987)
• Derby County (1987-1992)
• Plymouth Argyle (1992-1995)
• Wimbledon (1995)Bolton Wanderers (1995)
• Coventry City (1995-1996)
• West Ham (1996)
• Leyton Orient (1996-1997)
• International appearances: 125 (national record)
• International debut: 2511/1970, England-East Germany (3-1)
• Last international appearance: 07/07/1990, Italy-England (2-1)

Playing Honours

International

• World Cup: semi-finalist (1990), quarter-finalist (1986), second round (1982), 3 appearances, 17 matches, 10 clean sheets – record
• European Championships: first round (1988), 1 appearance, 2 matches

Club

• 2 European Cups (1979, 1980)
• 1 European Supercup (1979)
• 1 English Championship (1978)
• 1 League Cup (1979)
• 1 FA Cup final (1969)

Other honours

• English Player of the year (1978)
• Awarded MBE and OBE

Coaching Career

• Clubs: Plymouth Argyle (1992-1995)

Biography

• England’s Number One

Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (born 10 May 1969 in Amsterdam) is a retired Dutch professional footballer. He was named after Manchester United footballer Denis Law (although the traditional spelling had to be observed for the legal satisfaction of the registrar). At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, Arsenal and also represented the Netherlands at international level. Bergkamp played most of his best games as a support striker, where his tactical awareness and deft passes made him a great exponent of the game from the ‘hole’.

He was selected by Pelé as one of the FIFA 125 greatest living players and is widely regarded as one of the English Premier League’s all-time greatest players. In 2007 he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame, the first and thus far only Dutch player ever to receive the honour. He has also finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice.

Club career

AFC Ajax

Bergkamp was brought up through Ajax’s famous youth system, joining the club at age 12. He was given his professional debut by coach Johan Cruyff on 14 December 1986 against Roda JC, and went on to make 14 appearances that season. He played as a substitute in the 1987 European Cup Winners Cup final against Lokomotive Leipzig, which Ajax won.

The following season, Bergkamp became a regular for Ajax, winning the Dutch league in 1990, the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the KNVB Cup in 1993. From 1991 to 1993 Bergkamp was top scorer in the Eredivisie, and he was voted Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993. In all, Bergkamp scored 122 goals in 239 games for his hometown club.

Inter Milan

In the summer of 1993, Bergkamp was signed by Inter Milan for £12 million alongside his Ajax team-mate Wim Jonk. This made him the second most expensive player in the world at the time, second only to Gianluigi Lentini.

However, his time in Italy was less successful. Although he won a second UEFA Cup in 1994, he found it hard to adapt to the Italian style of play, scoring just 11 times in 50 appearances. Bergkamp’s poor form was not helped by his frosty relationship with the Italian press, and indeed some of his teammates. He was so unpopular at the club, that the Italian sports media, renamed their “Donkyy of the Week” award (Handed to the worst player that week) to the “Bergkamp of the Week” award

Arsenal

After two unhappy seasons at Inter, Bergkamp was signed by Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch in June 1995 for £7.5m. Bergkamp made his debut against Middlesbrough on 19 August 1995 but had to adapt to the English style of play. It took him seven games before he finally managed to score his first goal, against Southampton. Slowly but surely, Bergkamp’s stature grew, playing as a forward behind the main striker, Ian Wright. They soon formed a strong partnership which was one of the finest in the Premier League. Bergkamp has been regarded by many football pundits such as Alan Hansen as being the greatest foreign player to grace the English game.

Bergkamp’s arrival at Arsenal was significant, not only as he was one of the first world-class foreign players to join an English club since the lifting of the Heysel ban in 1990, but also because he was a major contributor to the club’s return to success after a brief period of mediocrity in the mid-1990s.

Bergkamp hit his best form for Arsenal after the arrival of Arsène Wenger in September 1996. Arsenal won an FA Premier League and FA Cup double in the 1997-98 season (although Bergkamp missed the cup final with an injury), and Bergkamp was voted PFA Player of the Year. In September 1997, he became the first and so far the only player to have come first, second and third in Match of the Day’s Goal of the Month competition, for a hat trick against Leicester City. He scored 16 times that season, as well as being involved in setting up many more. At the end of that same season, he helped the Netherlands to a fourth-place finish at the 1998 World Cup. In that competition, he scored one of the greatest goals of all time in a quarter final win against Argentina, after receiving a 60 yard pass from Frank de Boer. During the 2001/02 campaign, Dennis once again scored a truly memorable goal that would go on to win Premier League Goal of the Season. On the 3rd of March 2002, Arsenal took on Newcastle in a league encounter. With just 10 minutes on the clock, Robert Pires sent in a low pass from the left flank to Bergkamp standing on the edge of the opponent area with his back to goal. With an ingenious flick of the ball with the inside of his left foot, he dumbfounded defender Nikos Dabizas who was marking him tightly. He swiveled the other way, brushing the defender aside, and coolly slotting the ball past an onrushing Shay Given.

While his subsequent form did not match the spectacle of that season, Bergkamp continued to be a regular in the Arsenal team. He won the double again in 2002, the FA Cup in 2003 and the Premier League for a third time in 2004. The club’s domestic success was not matched in European competition, the closest to winners’ medals coming when they lost the 2000 UEFA Cup final to Galatasaray on penalties and the 2006 Champions League final loss to Barcelona; Bergkamp traveled overland to Paris for his competitive farewell, only to be an unused substitute.

In 2005, due to Arsenal’s reluctance in offering him a new deal, there was speculation that Bergkamp would leave the club, and possibly football altogether. Bergkamp had said that he would retire from football if not offered a new contract with Arsenal for the 2005-06 campaign, despite interest from his former club Ajax. Following Arsenal’s penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup Final in Cardiff though, it was revealed he would sign a one-year contract extension, which was custom by the manager Arsène Wenger for players over 30 years of age, keeping him at the London club for their final season at the Arsenal Stadium at Highbury.

On 16 April 2006, the home match against West Bromwich Albion, the Arsenal supporters dedicated the original “Supporter’s Day” match theme (one of the designated theme days Arsenal prepared to celebrate their last year at Highbury before moving to the Emirates Stadium) to “Dennis Bergkamp Day“, to commemorate Bergkamp’s time at Arsenal. Bergkamp came on as a second half substitute, setting up the winning Robert Pirès goal, after Nigel Quashie had equalized just after he came on. He scored a curler himself at the 89th minute, as Arsenal ran out 3-1 winners. That goal proved to be the last goal Bergkamp scored in Arsenal colours and in competitive football.

Bergkamp officially retired from competitive football after the 2006 Champions League final game against FC Barcelona on 17 May 2006. The last game he played in Arsenal colours was also the last game at Highbury, against Wigan Athletic on 7 May 2006—the final Premier League game of that season. Bergkamp scored 120 goals for Arsenal in 424 appearances, and set up a further 166 goals in his Arsenal career. This makes him one of the top assist makers in Premier League history.

On 14 July 2008 he placed 2nd in Gunners Greatest 50 Players, behind former strike partner Thierry Henry, in an online poll on Arsenal.com

International career

Bergkamp made his international debut for the Netherlands against Italy on 26 September 1990. His first major tournament was Euro 92, where the Dutch were defending champions. Bergkamp impressed, but the Dutch lost on penalties in the semi-finals to the team that would go on to win the tournament, Denmark, despite Bergkamp scoring both in regular time and in the penalty shoot-out.

Bergkamp also impressed in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, playing in all of his side’s matches, scoring a goal against Brazil, a match the Dutch ultimately lost 3-2. The Netherlands disappointed in Euro 96, with the squad riven by in-fighting, although Bergkamp still scored once, and set up Patrick Kluivert’s consolatory goal against England that got the side into the quarter-finals.

Bergkamp scored three times in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, including a memorable winning goal in the final minute of the quarter-final against Argentina. Bergkamp took a leaping first touch to instantly control a long 60-yard aerial pass from Frank de Boer, brought the ball down through Argentine defender Roberto Ayala’s legs, and finally finished by firing a volley with the outside of his right foot past the keeper at a tight angle from the right. With three intelligent right-footed touches in a matter of seconds, he was able to turn the game and send his national squad into the semifinal round.

The Netherlands joint-hosted Euro 2000 and were one of the favourites. After progressing through the “group of death”, they lost on penalties to Italy in the semi-finals. Bergkamp didn’t score at all during the tournament but still played an important role. After the defeat, Bergkamp announced his retirement from international football, because the next major tournament, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, would be played in Japan and South Korea and Bergkamp’s aviophobia (see below) would prevent him from travelling there. He did not play the qualification matches, since he thought that it would be unfair to do so.

He ended his international career first on the all-time list of goal scorers for the Dutch national team, with 37 goals in 79 games, although his record has since been passed by Patrick Kluivert.

Post-football career

Bergkamp had the honour of being the focus of the first match at Arsenal’s new ground, the Emirates Stadium. On 22 July 2006, a testimonial was played in his honour at the new stadium, with Arsenal playing his old club Ajax. Bergkamp kicked off the match with his father, Wim, and son, Mitchel. All four children acted as the match’s mascots. The first half was played by members of Arsenal and Ajax’s current squads, while the second was played by famous ex-players from both sides; for example Ian Wright, Patrick Vieira, Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit and David Seaman for Arsenal, and Marco van Basten, Danny Blind, Johan Cruijff, Frank and Ronald de Boer for Ajax. Arsenal won the match 2–1 with goals from Thierry Henry and Nwankwo Kanu; Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had earlier opened the scoring for Ajax, making him the first goalscorer at the Emirates Stadium.

Upon retiring from playing Bergkamp insisted he would not move into coaching. He turned down an offer to scout for Arsenal and instead concentrated on travelling and spending time with his family. However, in May 2008 he began a fast-track coaching diploma for former Dutch international footballers. Because of his Aviophobia, he will study under Arsène Wenger in London.

It has been confirmed by Marco van Basten that Bergkamp has undertaken a trainee role at Ajax which will help him establish himself in a future coaching capacity.

He has reiterated that he would not turn down an opportunity for a coaching role at Arsenal, stating “I wouldn’t rule out [working at Arsenal in some capacity], I really love this club and the country and I love working here“.

Others on Bergkamp

In Brilliant Orange (ISBN 0-7475-5310-6), David Winner’s analysis of the way in which Dutch football and Dutch culture blend, the sculptor Jeroen Henneman analyzes the effect of Dennis Bergkamp’s passes and how he can split a defence:

“It’s a miracle. One moment the pitch is crowded and narrow. Suddenly it is huge and wide.”

Bergkamp’s close control and skill in passing the ball has put him in very high regard by Arsenal’s fans, who have given him the nickname “God“. Other nicknames given to him by fans included “Dennis the Menace“, “the Dutch Master“, “the non-Flying Dutchman”, “Iceman” and “Bergy“.

Arsène Wenger also said about him after Arsenal’s 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion (16 April 2006) that Bergkamp had:

“Intelligence and class. Class is of course, most of the time linked to what you can do with the ball, but the intelligence makes you use the technique in an efficient way. It’s like somebody who has a big vocabulary but he doesn’t say intelligent words, and somebody who has a big vocabulary but he can talk intelligently, and that’s what Dennis is all about. What he does, there’s always a head and always a brain. And his technique allows him to do what he sees, and what he decides to do.”

Bergkamp’s former strike partner Thierry Henry praised the Dutchman after his last game for the club:

“Dennis is the best player I have ever played with as a partner. It is a dream for a striker to have him in the team with you.“

Arsenal Legend Ian Wright said of Bergkamp:

“He’s the messiah. We told him to get us into Europe when he joined and that’s exactly what he did.“

In April 2006, Simon Kuper wrote in the Financial Times:

“One night last year some legends of Dutch football gathered for dinner in an Amsterdam house. Around midnight conversation turned to an old question: who was the best Dutch footballer ever? Dutchmen have been voted European Footballer of the Year seven times, more than any other nationality except Germans. Yet Jan Mulder, a great centre-forward turned writer, chose a player who had never even threatened to win the award nor, at the time, a Champions League: ‘Bergkamp. He had the finest technique’, said Mulder. Guus Hiddink, the great Dutch manager, nodded, and so the matter was settled.“

“Dennis Bergkamp” is the title of the second single by UK band Guildean gang. The song’s lyrics do not relate to the footballer, the title merely being a tribute to him.

Aviophobia

Dennis Bergkamp is well known for having a disabling fear of flying, which developed after the Dutch squad were involved in an incident concerning their aircraft during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. The Dutch squad travelled together with a group of journalists, one of whom made remarks about the long waiting time, wondering if there was a bomb on the plane. This provoked a panic amongst passengers and in particular Bergkamp. This incident reminded Bergkamp of a plane crash which killed many Surinamese-Dutch players when they flew to Suriname. Ever since, Bergkamp has had a dislike of flying. This gave rise to the nickname the non-Flying Dutchman, a variation on The Flying Dutchman. He was thus often unable to play for Arsenal outside of England. He would, if required, take a train or drive there himself. The tiring nature of such long journeys to Europe forced him to miss domestic matches around European away games.

Personal life

Bergkamp is married to Henrita Ruizendaal, with whom he has had 2 daughters Estelle Deborah & Yasmin and 1 son Mitchel.

Bergkamp is also best friends with Marc Overmars, with whom he played at Arsenal. Overmars was occasionally criticized during his years at Arsenal for “his seeming unwillingness to share the ball with anyone other than compatriot Dennis Bergkamp.”

Coaching career

In July, he moved back to AFC Ajax and works as assistant coach, on 26 October 2008, he signed a contract with the KNVB as team manager for the newly formed Netherlands B team on the side with Johan Neeskens.

Dennis Bergkamp – Unquestionably Unique Player

Honours

Ajax

• Eredivisie:1989-90

• KNVB Cup: 1987, 1993
• European Cup Winners Cup: 1987
• UEFA Cup: 1992

Internazionale Milano

• UEFA Cup: 1994

Arsenal

Winner

• Premier League: 1997-98, 2001-02, 2003-04

• FA Cup: 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005
• FA Community Shield: 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004

Runner-Up

• Premier League: 1997-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2004-05
• FA Cup: 2001
• FA Community Shield: 2003, 2005
• UEFA Champions League : 2006
• UEFA Cup : 2000

International

• 1998 FIFA World Cup: Fourth Place

Awards

• UEFA Euro 1992 Team of the Tournament
• UEFA Euro 1992 topscorer
• Eredivisie topscorer 1991, 1992, 1993
• Dutch Talent of the Year (1990)
• Dutch Player of the Year 1992, 1993
• UEFA Cup Top Scorer (1994)
• European Footballer of the Year: 3rd place 1992, 2nd place 1993
• English PFA Players’ Player of the Year 1998
• English Football Writers Player of the Year 1998
• English PFA Team of the Year: 1998
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team – 1998
• English Goal of the Season 1997-1998, 2001-2002
• Arsenal FC Player of the Year 1998
• FIFA Player of the Year: 3rd place 1993, 1997
• FA Premier League Player of the Month: August 1997, September 1997, March 2002, February 2004
• Inducted into English Football Hall of Fame in 2007 ceremony
• FIFA 100
• Unitar Dean’s List award 2008-2009

Personal Data

Surname: Puskas
First name: Ferenc
Country: Hungary
Date of birth: 1927-04-02
Birthplace: Budapest
Died: 2006-11-17
Height 174 cm
Weight 73.0 kg

Career

Position: forward
Clubs: Kijpest Budapest, later to become Honved Budapest (1943-56), Real Madrid (Spain/1958-66)
International appearances: Hungary 84, Spain 4
International goals: Hungary 83, Spain 0
International debuts: Hungary: 20/08/1945, Hungary-Austria (5-2); Spain: November 12/11/1961, Morocco-Spain (0-1)
First international goal: 20/08/1945, Hungary-Austria (5-2)
Last international goal: 14/10/1956, Austria-Hungary (0-2)
Last international appearances: Hungary: October 14/10/1956, Austria-Hungary (0-2); Spain: June 06/05/1962, Brazil-Spain (2-1)

Playing Honours

International: World Cup: finalist (1954 with Hungary), first-round (1962 with Spain), 2 appearances, 8 matches (5 with Hungary), 4 goals (all with Hungary), Olympic Games: gold medalist (1952)

Club: 3 European Cups (1959, 1960, 1966), 1 Intercontinental Cup (1960), 4 Hungarian Championships (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955), Top scorer (1948/50 goals, 1950/31 goals, 1953/27 goals), 5 Spanish Championships (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965), Top scorer (1960/26 goals, 1961/27 goals, 1963/26 goals, 1964/20 goals), 1 Spanish Cup (1962)

Coaching Career: Clubs Alicante (Esp/1969), Vancouver Royals (Can/1969), San Francisco Gales (USA/1969), Panathinaikos Athens (Gre/1970-74), Colo-Colo (Chi/1974-76), Murcia (Esp/1977), AEK Athens (1978-79), Al-Masri (Egy/1979-84), Sol de America (Par/1985), Cerro Porteno (Par/1986), FC Olimpia (Par/1987), Panhellenic Melbourne (Aus/1988-91)

Honours: 1 European Cup final (1971)

Indisputably one of the best left-footed players in the history of the game, Ferenc Puskas bestrode the Hungarian football scene throughout a golden period in the early 1950s like a colossus.

He stood out in a wonderful Hungarian side that acquired a very special synergy capable of causing devastation in opposing defences, even those with a reputation for parsimony.

Take poor England in 1953, for example, who were on the end of a 6-3 pasting at Wembley, a result that shook the football world.

Victory beckoned at the 1954 World Cup after Puskas and his devastating teammates Boszik, Czibor, Kocsis and Hidegkuti scored 17 goals in their first two pool games.

They disposed of Brazil 4-2 in the quarter-finals, swept aside Uruguay by the same score in the semi-finals, and then only had to beat West Germany again (Hungary beat West Germany 8-3 in the group round) to win the Cup.

Puskas opened the scoring and Czibor made it 2-0 inside eight minutes. But then three strikes by the Germans snatched the trophy away from them 3-2, thereby registering their first defeat in four years.
Exile

After the unsuccessful Hungarian uprising in 1956 the Galloping Major (a nickname that had stuck during his army days) joined Real Madrid, and after two years in the country was granted Spanish nationality.

Puskas scored 83 goals in 84 matches for Hungary but his new nationality gave him a chance to prolong his international career and he played four times for Spain.

In 1962 he had another chance to shine at world level when he was part of Spain’s squad at the 1962 World Cup, but the Spaniards played poorly and were eliminated at the first hurdle.

On a domestic level he had more success, winning five Spanish championships in eleven years and one European Cup in 1960 alongside the equally revered Alfredo Di Stefano.

The Hungarian’s record as a coach was less brilliant, although he did take Greek club Panathinaikos to the 1971 European Cup final, the Greeks becoming the first victims (2-0) of the wonderful Ajax side of that era.

He moved back to Hungary after the end of the Cold War and in a tribute worthy of his career, the People’s Stadium in Budapest was re-named after himin to mark his 75th birthday in 2002.

His health failed gradually and Puskas passed away in 2006 aged 79.

Mokhtar Dahari (13 November 1953 – 11 July 1991) was a legendary Malaysian football. He was one of the Best Players in Asia in the 1970s. Born in Setapak, Mokhtar showed interest in playing football at an early age. He played for his school and later for his home state, Selangor FA. He was only nineteen years old when he first played for the Malaysia national football team in an international game. Mokhtar helped Selangor FA win the Malaysia Cup 10 times and scored 177 goals altogether. In international games, he helped the Malaysia national football team score a total of 125 goals in 167 caps. He was the best striker in Malaysia. His first game for Malaysia national football team was against Sri Lanka national football team in 1972.

The Merdeka Stadium was his second home. Roars of “Supermokh” was all over the crowds including the young generation who tried to imitate his move. Along with goalkeeper R Arumugam, defenders Santokh Singh and Soh Chin Aun, midfielders Reduan Abadullah and Shukor Salleh and Mokhtar’s partner upfront Isa Bakar, Mokhtar Dahari’s Selangor FA and Malaysia national football team were powerful forces in the ‘70s.

In 1975, he represented the Malaysia national football team against English giants Arsenal F.C.. Malaysia won the game 2–0, with Mokhtar scoring both goals. After the game, Mokhtar was rumoured to have been offered a chance to play for the Gunners. He also famously scored a goal in a 1–1 draw against England national football team’s B team in 1978 by dribbling past half of the opposing team.

He won his 100th cap for Malaysia national football team when he played in a Merdeka Football Tournament match against Japan national football team in 1976. This number 10 of Selangor FA also had a friendly game against another number 10, Diego Maradona’s Boca Juniors in January 1982.

Perlawanan Persahabatan Pilihan Selangor / Boca Juniors Di Stadium Merdeka (1982)

Mokhtar Dahari retired in May 1986 after winning the Malaysia Cup for Selangor FA and himself the man of the match. He also gave his number 10 jersey to Raja Muda Selangor. He came out of retirement in January 1987 to play one more season for Selangor FA. In January 1988, he joined Kwong Yik Bank and won the Selangor League that year. Mokhtar died at age 37 of muscular dystrophy at Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) at 8:25 am on 11 July 1991. His body was laid to rest at Bukit Permai, Taman Keramat Permai Muslim cemetery.

Supermokh

Dato’ Mokhtar Dahari ( 13 November 1953 – 11 Julai 1991) adalah legenda pemain bola sepak kebangsaan Malaysia dari Selangor. Beliau telah diberi gelaran SuperMokh kerana keberaniannya menjaringkan banyak gol sepanjang kariernya. Dia mewakili Malaysia dari 1972 hinggalah 1985.

Biodata Mokhtar Dahari

Dilahirkan di Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, Mokhtar mendapat pendidikan awal di Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan Kuantan (1960-1965) dan Victoria Institution (1966-1970). Anak kepada Dahari Abeng dan Maimon Sadikin ini mula mewakili Selangor pada tahun 1971 pada Piala Burnley. Beliau juga Pernah menyertai beberapa kelab bola sepak antaranya Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS), Talasco, Kwong Yik Bank.

Penglibatan Dalam Bola Sepak

Allahyarham Mokhtar Dahari yang masih dikenang sehingga ke hari ini walaupun hayatnya sudah bersemadi hampir 15 tahun lalu. Biarpun ramai generasi muda masa kini tidak mengenali dengan dekat bintang negara itu, tapi hampir semua pasti pernah mendengar namanya – pemain dengan bakat semulajadi yang mengangkat imej Malaysia setaraf dengan jaguh bola sepak dunia. Paling ketara Pestabola Merdeka yang menjadi gelanggang dia mempamer taring dan kehebatannya.

Pada usia 23 tahun, Mokhtar atau lebih terkenal dengan jolokan SuperMokh diiktiraf Majalah World Star Soccer sebagai penyerang terbaik Asia dan ketika itu jugalah dia dinobatkan Olahragawan Kebangsaan 1976. Kelebihan dimiliki ‘Supermokh’ banyak dengan sepakan deras bak peluru menjadi elemen penting hinggakan tiga jari mendiang R Arumungam, bekas penjaga gol negara pernah patah ketika cuba menampannya. Itu belum dikira bijaknya penyerang ternama negara itu membaca gerakan lawan dan meloloskan diri.

Dengan 167 kaps antarabangsa, dia berjaya meletakkan Malaysia di kedudukan tertinggi pentas bola sepak Asia seterusnya mampu membuka mata dunia hingga kuasa bola sepak dunia. Skuad England B bimbingan Bobby Robson turut merasa bahangnya selepas diikat skuad negara 1-1 hasil jaringan menakjubkan Mokhtar.

Walaupun kelibat pemain istimewa seperti Mokhtar yang tiada galang gantinya sehingga kini sudah lama meninggalkan kita, bayangan kehebatannya tidak pernah padam apatah lagi apabila mengingati susah payah anak kelahiran Setapak, Kuala Lumpur itu mencipta nama walaupun dia memang sudah memiliki kurniaan yang tiada pada orang lain.

Mokhtar sangat gigih ketika latihan, sejak di bangku sekolah lagi dia yang menuntut di Victoria Institution tidak pernah jemu berlatih sehingga namanya sudah sebati dengan di skuad kebangsaan pun dia masih sama apabila terus mengawal bola sambil menggelecek tiang-tiang kecil sebelum melepaskan tendangan kencang ke gawang yang kosong untuk menajamkan kuasa pemusnah yang ada pada dirinya.

Malah dia tidak suka diganggu ketika latihan apatah lagi mengaitkan kemasyhuran dirinya di padang dengan kehidupan peribadi hingga menjadikan dia idola paling diminati. Apapun kehilangan permata paling berharga bola sepak negara itu tidak seharusnya ditangisi sampai bila-bila dan generasi sekarang sepatutnya cuba menjadikannya sebagai motivasi meningkatkan diri supaya bola sepak negara kembali segar seperti sebelumnya

BIODATA

TARIKH LAHIR: 13 November 1953, di Setapak
ISTERI: Tengku Zarina Tengku Ibrahim
BAPA: Dahari Abeng
EMAK: Maimon Sadikin
ANAK: Mohamad Redza, Nur Azera dan Nur Arina
KELAB: Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS), Talasco, Kwong Yik Bank
MULA WAKILI SELANGOR: Piala Burnley 1971
PIALA MALAYSIA: Wakili Selangor 1972
MULA WAKILI NEGARA: Pestabola Merdeka 1972
TERAKHIR WAKILI NEGARA: Pra-Piala Dunia menentang Korea Selatan di Seoul 1985
KAPS: 167
GOL PIALA MALAYSIA: 177
GOL ANTARABANGSA: 125
JARINGAN TERBAIK: Gol penyamaan menentang England B pada 1978
PENCAPAIAN: Membantu Selangor memenangi Piala Malaysia 10 kali. Menang pingat gangsa Sukan Asia 1974 di Teheran
ANUGERAH: Olahragawan Kebangsaan 1976

“To be a good footballer, you need three things:
discipline, dedication and determination.
Training is a must and never feel disheartened.”

Mokhtar Dahari, Sportsman of the Year, 1977