Hungary hero remembered

Signed at 17
Bene was born in a small village next to Lake Balaton in the west of the country on 17 December 1944. Hungary was full of great players during the 1960s, but if fans had to chose one striker from the list, Újpesti TE's (then Újpesti Dózsa) Bene would probably get the nod. He was only a teenager in 1961 when Budapest side Újpest signed him.

Olympic haul
He was first capped by Hungary the following year, and made a significant impact on the world stage in 1964, finishing as leading scorer at the Tokyo Olympics – his 12 goals, including six against Morocco, bringing Hungary the gold medal. Bene played centre-forward for Újpest, but normally performed at outside-right for Hungary because of the presence of another great forward in Flórián Albert.

Leading scorer
Five times the Hungarian league's top marksman, Bene won eight championships with Újpest and the domestic Magyar Kupa on three occasions. In 1966, he was a key member of the Hungarian team that beat Brazil 3-1 at Goodison Park - Brazil's first FIFA World Cup defeat since they had lost to Hungary in 1954.

Real fighter
"He was amazing - a player who liked to train," Bene's former strike partner Antal Dunai said. "It was not rare for him to practise one particular kind of shot for hours. He was a real fighter who never gave up and he only liked to win. It gave us energy."

Goodison strike
His scoring record was 303 goals in 418 games, but Bene is synonymous with one goal – his effort in that World Cup win against Brazil in Liverpool 40 years ago. Bene set off on a solo run, reached the goalline, beat two defenders inside the area and hammered the ball home with his - weaker – left foot. In all, he played 76 matches for the national side, registering 36 goals.

Idol for a generation
Another Hungarian icon, centre-back Zoltán Kereki, remembers Bene with pride. "He was an idol for my generation, as he was extremely fair," Kereki said. "Unlike many strikers, he never dived on purpose. If he stayed down, he was in real trouble. This mentality and his skills made him one of the best players in Europe."

Coaching work
Bene did not quit football after finishing at Újpest, but went abroad, signing for Finnish club Sepsi-78 Seinäjoki. Finally moving into coaching, he worked with Újpest's youth teams, and also led Norwegian outfit Vagarkameratene. A notable coincidence saw him serve as assistant coach to Antal Dunai when the Hungary Under-21s reached the Olympic Games in 1996.

Open to challenges
Bene was always open to new challenges. He spent some time guiding Hungarian women's side László Kórház, and before his death he was the coach of the country's beach soccer team, showing his skills to a younger generation of players.