Barcelona great Kubala dies

Former FC Barcelona forward and Spanish national team coach Ladislao Kubala has died after several months of illness, the Catalan club said today. He was 74.

Greatest ever
The Hungarian-born Kubala, who coached the Spanish national team for eleven years, was admitted to a Barcelona clinic in February suffering from a calcium deficiency in his blood. Kubala, voted the best player in Barcelona's history during the club's centenary year in 1999, made his debut for the club in 1950 after arriving in Spain with a touring Hungarian team.

Striking impact
He went on to help the club win four Primera División titles, five Copa del Rey's and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups before retiring in the 1961/62 season. Kubala coached Barcelona for a short period, but was sacked in 1963 before joining RCD Espanyol where he made a comeback and played alongside another great Spanish import, the Argentinian-born Alfredo di Stéfano. Kubala played 19 times for his adopted country, scoring eleven goals, and was Spanish coach for 68 games between 1969 and 1980, finishing with a record of 31 wins, 21 draws and 16 defeats.