György Sárosi facts for kids
Sárosi in 1931
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sárosi György | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 August 1912 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Budapest, Austria-Hungary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 20 June 1993 (aged 80) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Genoa, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Second striker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1930–1948 | Ferencváros | 383 | (351) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1931–1943 | Hungary | 62 | (42) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1948–1950 | Bari | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1950–1951 | Lucchese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951–1953 | Juventus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1953–1955 | Genoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1955–1956 | Roma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1957–1958 | Bologna | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959 | Roma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1960 | Brescia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1962–1963 | Lugano | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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György Sárosi (born August 5, 1912 – died June 20, 1993) was a famous Hungarian footballer. He was known for being a very complete player. Sárosi could play in many different positions. He played for Ferencváros and the Hungarian national team.
He was mostly a forward, but he could also play in midfield or even central defense. Sárosi helped Ferencváros win five Hungarian league titles. These wins happened between 1932 and 1941. Many people think he was one of the best players before World War II.
Sárosi scored a goal in the 1934 FIFA World Cup. His best moment was when he led Hungary to the 1938 FIFA World Cup final. He scored five goals in that tournament. One of his goals was in the final match. He finished as the third-highest goalscorer.
After he stopped playing, he moved to Italy. There, he became a manager for several football clubs. These included Genoa, Juventus, and Roma. He passed away in 1993 when he was 80 years old.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
György Sárosi was born in Budapest on August 5, 1912. His family name was originally Stefanicsics. It was later changed to Sárosi to sound more Hungarian. His father was a tailor. György had two brothers, László and Béla. All three brothers became national athletes.
When he was in school, György played many sports. Besides football, he played tennis, table tennis, water polo, and did athletics. He was very skilled with the ball. He also understood the game very well.
He went to Eötvös High School. The school's football team played in a league called KISOK. Sárosi played there with two future teammates. A coach from the Ferencváros youth team saw him play.
Sárosi joined Ferencváros's youth team when he was 15. A few years later, the club wanted him to become a professional player. But György had other plans. He wanted to be a lawyer. He saw football as just a hobby. However, his father convinced him to play professionally. Many people were losing jobs during that time. His father believed György was good enough to make football his career.
Club Career Highlights
Joining the First Team
Sárosi was 18 years old when he played his first game. It was on March 15, 1931. His team, Ferencváros, won 7-0 against Bástya. Newspapers praised his performance. They said he was smart in the game. They also noted his great passing.
Zoltán Blum, his coach, said Sárosi played like an experienced captain. He was strong and fast. He could take the ball from defense and start attacks. Sárosi scored his first league goal in May 1931.
Winning the 1931-32 championship was special for Sárosi. He played in 19 out of 22 matches that season.
Best Years: 1933-1938
Hungarian Cup Final Win
By age 20, György Sárosi was one of the world's best players. He had an amazing game in the 1933 Hungarian Cup Final. Ferencváros played against Újpest. Újpest had won the league that year. But Ferencváros won the cup final 11-1! Sárosi scored 3 goals and helped with 4 others. He was named the best player of the game.
Sárosi's Changing Role
Because he was so good with the ball, Sárosi started playing further forward. First, he was an attacking midfielder. Then, he became a striker. He scored a hat-trick (3 goals) in the 1933 Hungarian Cup final. He also set up four other goals.
As a striker, he scored at least one goal per game for eight seasons. He was the top scorer in the Hungarian league twice. Sárosi is also the top scorer in the history of the Mitropa Cup. This was a big competition for top European clubs.
In 1937, Ferencváros won the Mitropa Cup. In the semi-finals, they played against Austria Vienna. They lost the first game 4-1. But in the second game, Ferencváros won 6-1. Sárosi played a huge role in this comeback. Fans carried him off the field. He said it was the most beautiful match of his life.
Mitropa Cup Final Victory
In the 1937 Mitropa Cup final, Ferencváros played against Lazio. The first game was 4-2 to Ferencváros. The second game was in Rome. It was a thrilling match, ending 5-4 to Ferencváros. Sárosi scored a fantastic goal. He hit the ball with his right foot while his back was to the goal. He called it perhaps the most beautiful goal of his life.
Ferencváros won the cup! Sárosi was the top scorer of the 1937 Mitropa Cup. He had 12 goals and 2 assists. In the two final games, he scored 6 goals and assisted 1.
Final Years and Retirement
Ferencváros won the 1939-40 championship. They also won the 1940-41 championship. Sárosi led the team to this victory. He was named Player of the Year.
On April 18, 1948, Sárosi played his last game for Ferencváros. He said goodbye to the fans with a great performance. Fans cheered his name and carried him off the field. The next day, he left Hungary for Italy. He lived there until he passed away.
During his time at Ferencváros, he played 450 matches. He scored 421 goals and assisted 190 times.
International Career
Starting as a Defender
Sárosi began his international career for Hungary at 18. His first game was in May 1931. In his second game, he played as a defender. He stopped a famous Czech player from scoring. Because he was so good in defense, Hungary tried him in attack. This was in his 15th game. He scored that day against Sweden.
1934 World Cup
In 1934, György Sárosi played in his first World Cup. He was injured in the first game. But he still played in the quarter-final against Austria. He scored a penalty goal. However, Hungary lost the game 2-1. Sárosi scored one goal in that World Cup.
Seven Goals Against Czechoslovakia
One of Sárosi's most famous games was against Czechoslovakia in 1937. It was a Central European International Cup match. Hungary was losing 2-1. Sárosi then scored seven goals! He scored them against František Plánička, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Hungary won the game 8-3.
His coach, Károly Dietz, said scoring seven goals in an international game is almost impossible. After the game, the newspapers gave Sárosi a special rating. They usually use numbers from 1 to 5. But for Sárosi's amazing performance, they gave him a "-1". This showed how incredible his game was.
These seven goals helped him become the top scorer of the 1936–38 Central European Cup. He scored 10 goals. He is also the all-time top goalscorer in the Central European International Cup with 17 goals.
1938 World Cup
In the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France, Hungary's first game was against the Dutch East Indies. Hungary won 6-0. Sárosi scored two goals. In the next game, Hungary beat Switzerland 2-0. Sárosi scored again.
Against Sweden in the semi-finals, Hungary won 5-1. Sárosi played brilliantly. He scored once and helped with three other goals. Newspapers praised his performance. They said he was playing at his best.
The 1938 FIFA World Cup Final was between Hungary and Italy. Italy was a very strong team. Sárosi scored a goal in the 70th minute. This made the score 3-2 for Italy. But Italy scored again and won 4-2. Sárosi played well, but Italy's defense was too strong.
In the 1938 World Cup, Sárosi scored 5 goals and assisted 3 times in 4 games. He scored in every knockout stage game. Only Lionel Messi has matched this achievement many years later. His performance in this World Cup is considered one of the best in Hungary's history.
Later Life and Coaching
After retiring from playing, Sárosi became a coach. His first coaching job was with Bari in 1948. His biggest success as a coach was winning a championship with Juventus in 1952. He coached ten different clubs until 1977. Later, he focused on coaching young players.
In 1976, he visited Hungary for the first time since leaving. He said that Ferencváros in Budapest was the most beautiful city in the world. He felt his life was completely connected to the club.
György Sárosi passed away on June 19, 1993, in Genoa, Italy. He was buried there.
Playing Style
Sárosi was known as one of the most complete footballers ever. In the mid-1930s, top European sports magazines picked him for their best teams. What was amazing is that they picked him for different positions. One magazine picked him as a defender. Another picked him as a midfielder. A third picked him as an attacker. This showed that Sárosi could play and excel in any position.
He was mainly a forward. But he could also play as a world-class midfielder or even a central defender. Sárosi was excellent at dribbling and scoring goals. He was a strong leader and a great team player.
Honours
Player
Club
Ferencváros
- Hungarian National Championship (5): 1932, 1934, 1938, 1940, 1941
- Hungarian Cup (4): 1933, 1942, 1943, 1944
- Mitropa Cup (1): 1937
International
Hungary
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1938
- Central European International Cup third place: 1931–32, 1933–35
Manager
Club
Juventus
- Serie A: 1951–52
Individual Awards
- FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball: 1938 (for being the third best player)
- FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 1938 (for being the third highest scorer)
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1938
- Central European International Cup: Top scorer 1933–35
- World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time
- Mitropa Cup top scorer: 1935, 1937, 1940
- Nemzeti Bajnokság I top scorer: 1935–36, 1939–40, 1940–41
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