Magic Magyar Hidegkuti dies

The legendary Nándor Hidegkuti, an integral member of the great Hungary team of the 1950s, has died in hospital of heart and lung problems at the age of 79.

League career
Born on 3 March 1922, Hidegkuti never played for a club outside of his native Hungary. He moved to top-flight football with MTK Hungária FC from Herminamezei AC in 1947, and went on to win the Hungarian league championship in 1953 and 1958, scoring 260 goals in 381 league appearances.

Glittering career
At international level, Hidegkuti enjoyed a glittering career that lasted from 1945 until 1958 and encompassed 68 caps and 39 goals. He scored only eight minutes into his international debut against old foes Romania and later added a second en route to a 7-2 victory. On that day, Hidegkuti's scoring feat was matched by one Ferenc Puskás, who had made his debut for the national team the previous month. But being five years older than Puskás, Hidegkuti eventually became affectionately known as Öreg - old guy - by his international colleagues, although many Hungarians still regard him as the equal of his more famous compatriot.

Magical victory
Hidegkuti will probably be best remembered for scoring a hat-trick in the Magical Magyars' 6-3 demolition of England at Wembley on 25 November 1953 - a game that sent shockwaves through the footballing world as it was the first time the English had lost at home against opposition from outside the British Isles.

Tactical innovation
In that historic match, Hidegkuti, who was already 31 years of age, patented the role of the deep-lying centre forward by allowing the two inside forwards to push forward while he withdrew deeper. Playing from deep, Hidegkuti was able to distribute the ball to the four other attackers and cause chaos in a static English defence - an innovation that revolutionised previously rigid positional play and tactics.

First goal
Hidegkuti scored the first goal of the game after just 90 seconds when he viciously blasted the ball past Gilbert Merrick in the England goal. The hosts equalised against the run of play, but Hidegkuti soon scored his second from close range and by half-time two goals from Puskás meant that Hungary had extended their lead to 4-2. Hidegkuti completed his hat-trick in the second half with a spectacular volley. At the end of 90 minutes, the 6-3 scoreline in the Magyars' favour flattered the English. "The ball did precisely what they wanted," said awed England captain Billy Wright of his side's conquerors. "They were relentless, they were superb." Hidegkuti and the other members of the 'golden team' reinforced their standing by beating the English 7-1 in a return match on Hungarian soil six months later.

Overwhelming dominance
In truth, the result at Wembley should not have surprised many. Hidegkuti had helped his country win Olympic gold in the Helsinki games in 1952 and by the following year the Magyars were well on their way to proving that they were one of the finest international sides of all time. Despite their overwhelming dominance, however, 1954 saw Hungary fall at the final hurdle as they failed to win the FIFA World Cup finals in Switzerland, despite starting the tournament as hot favourites.

West Germany thwart Hungary
Hidegkuti was rested for his side's opening game, in which they thrashed the Korean Republic 9-0, but he returned to score twice against an under-strength West Germany in an 8-3 win. He also scored in the thrilling 4-2 quarter-final and semi-final wins against Brazil and reigning champions Uruguay. Facing Hungary in the final were a German side considered rank outsiders following their earlier hammering in the tournament, yet they confounded the critics to come from two behind to beat the Magyars 3-2.

Astonishing sequence
It was Hungarian football's greatest disappointment – made all the more galling for the fact that it was the only game the national side lost in an astonishing 43-game spell that ran from June 1952 until February 1956. During this sequence the side won 36 times and scored 177 goals, at an average of more than four per game.

Time passed
Four years later, Hungary travelled to the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, but their, and Hidegkuti's, time had passed. He made two appearances in four group games and failed to score as the Magyars were eliminated early on. Hidegkuti moved into coaching, leading Fiorentina AC to victory in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1961 and Györi ETO FC to the Hungarian championship. He also coached several other sides, including clubs in Poland and Egypt.

An innovator
Hidegkuti won a FIFA Fair Play award in 1993 and will be honoured at his funeral by Hungary's ministry of youth, the country's Olympic committee, the Hungarian Football Federation (MLS) and MTK, his former club. An innovator, an artist and a gentleman, Hidegkuti's death leaves a void in world football that will be impossible to fill.