Golden Generation:

The recently appointed Hungarian national coach Sándor Egervári has a tough task. The once mighty Magyars have not qualified for a major tournament since the 1986 World Cup. Actually that’s not quite true. While they have not qualified for a senior tournament, they finished third in last year’s Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

That young team will be the talent that Egervári pins his hopes on to end that sorry run for a football powerhouse that has slept too long. Hungary has contested the World Cup final twice, losing on both occasions – once against Mussolini’s Italian team that had plundered South American talent in 1938 and the other when they were the best team in the world and one of the greatest ever.

The current generation that Egervári has brought through and pins his hopes on for the future cannot be called the golden generation. There will only ever be one golden generation of Mighty Magyars and that has to be the team of the 1950s. Egervári’s youngsters have nothing to lose at Wembley tonight. England’s confidence is low after a dismal showing at the World Cup and Fabio Capello will be jeered as loudly as England players that failed in South Africa. The Hungarians may even be treated royally by England fans as well as their own tonight.

Footsteps of Greatness:

The Mighty Magyars were quite simply the most dominant team ever – boasting the highest ever ELO ranking for attacking football 2166 in June 1954. In the six years from 1950 until the  Golden Team was dismantled as a result of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, they were unbeaten in 50 matches, bar the controversial World Cup final of 1954.

They won only one title – Olympic gold in 1952 – but their legacy is one of the greatest ever. They revolutionised the way football was played, demolishing a complacent England twice home and away with an exhibition of total football that inspired great teams to achieve their potential. Before the Mighty Magyars Brasil had never won the World Cup. After being inspired to adopt their brand of Total Football, played long before the Dutch were wrongly credited with coining the term,[1] Brasil became the dominant force in World football.

The attacking triumvirate of the Golden Team was Ferenc Puskás (83 goals in 84 matches), Sándor Kocsis (68 goals in 75 matches) and Nándor Hidegkuti (39 goals in 69 games). Although he was the centre forward Hidegkuti played in a deeper role behind the inside forwards Puskás and  Kocsis. During their period of domination of the world game the Mighty Magyars boasted the world-recorder holder for international goals in Puskás and his nearest rival Kocsis, playing together.

It is a rare team that can boast six world class players, but the Mighty Magyars had that. Legendary goalkeeper Gyula Grosics: forwards Puskás, Hidegkuti and Kocsis, dynamic defensive midfielder  József Boszik and left winger Zoltán Czibor. The defence was hardly shabby either. But this exceptional team only had the Central European Championship of 1953 and Olympic Gold Medals of 1952 to their names. Nevertheless, they are and will remain the Golden Team of Hungarian football and no team especially from that country should be compared to them.

Golden Opportunity:

Erwin Koeman’s reign as Hungary coach ended last month. He had failed to win in his last four matches. A 6-1 defeat to World Cup finalists, the Netherlands, proved to be the Dutch coach’s last match in charge. He had favoured youth, but the sacking made sense.

Egervári led the Under-20 team to Egypt for last year’s tournament. Nobody knew these players that will be the back-bone of the national team for years to come better than the veteran coach. Nobody else is qualified to get the best out of them than him.

He also coaxed Fulham’s Zoltán Gera back into the national set up. “It’s great opportunity for the team, not just for me,” said Gera. “We have a new manager of the national team. It’s going to be a good new squad as well with the young players, so it’s a good opportunity for Hungary and it’s up to us. England is a very good team. It will be very difficult for us. I think it is a good opportunity for us to play in Wembley against England.

Age is no barrier in Gera’s opinion. “I think it doesn’t matter how old are you if you play well,” he said after bagging a fifteen minute hat-trick against Werder Bremen at the weekend. “If you deserve to play in the best team in your country I think it doesn’t matter how old are you. I think it’s important what you are doing on the pitch. I think it’s a good opportunity for us and we want to play a good game.” They will never have a better chance to announce their return to the world stage.