History of Budapest Honvéd FC facts for kids
Budapest Honvéd Football Club is a famous professional football team from Budapest, Hungary. They have a long and exciting history, known for their amazing players and winning many championships.
Contents
How it All Started (1900s)
The club began on August 10, 1908, as Kispesti Atlétikai Club, which means "Athletic Club of Kispest". A teacher named Dr. Bálint Varga founded it. However, the club's official start date is usually recognized as August 3, 1909, when its first rules were agreed upon. Back then, Kispest was a small village, not yet part of the big city of Budapest.
Early Days and First Win (1920s)
For its first 30 years, the club was mostly a small village team. They had some success, winning their first big trophy, the Hungarian Cup, in 1926.
The final match for the 1926 Hungarian Cup was a thrilling one! Kispesti AC played against Budapesti EAC. After a draw, they played again and Kispesti AC won 3-2. The winning goal came very late in the game, in the 157th minute!
In the 1930s, some players from the team, like Rezső Rozgonyi and Rezső Somlai, even played for the Hungarian national team in the 1934 World Cup. Ferenc Puskás I, the father of the famous Ferenc Puskás, also played for the club and later became a coach.
Becoming a Top Team (1940s)
In 1943, two future legends, Ferenc Puskás and József Bozsik, started playing for Kispest FC.
The club's most famous period began in 1949. The Hungarian Army took over the club, and it became the official army team. The coach of the national team, Gusztáv Sebes, was behind this change. He wanted to create a super team, much like other successful national teams that had players mostly from one or two clubs.
When Hungary became a communist country in 1949, the government took control of many football clubs. Sebes chose Kispesti AC because it was a good fit for his plan. The name "Kispest" was dropped because the village became part of Budapest. The club was renamed Budapesti Honvéd SE. The word Honvéd comes from the Hungarian Army's name and means "defender of the homeland".
The Mighty Magyars
.jpg)
The Kispest AC team already had amazing players like Ferenc Puskás and József Bozsik. With the army taking over, Honvéd could now bring in even more talented players. They recruited Sándor Kocsis, Zoltán Czibor, and László Budai from Ferencváros, Gyula Lóránt from Vasas SC, and goalkeeper Gyula Grosics.
Coach Sebes used Honvéd as a training ground for the national team. In the early 1950s, these Honvéd players formed the core of the legendary "Mighty Magyars". They helped Hungary become Olympic Champions in 1952, win the Central European International Cup in 1953, and even beat England twice! They also reached the 1954 World Cup final.
Honvéd itself also became very successful, winning the Hungarian League in 1949–50, 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955.
European Adventures
Honvéd's fame grew, and in 1954, they played a special friendly match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the English champions. This kind of match helped inspire the creation of the European Cup in 1955.
In 1956, Honvéd entered the second European Cup competition. They were set to play against Athletic Bilbao. Honvéd lost the first game away from home. But before the second game, the Hungarian Revolution broke out in Budapest, and the Soviet Union invaded. The players decided not to go back to Hungary. They arranged to play the return game in Brussels, Belgium.
During that game, Honvéd's goalkeeper got injured, and because no substitutes were allowed, Zoltán Czibor had to play as goalkeeper! Even though they drew the game 3-3, they lost overall and were out of the competition.
A World Tour and New Paths
After being knocked out of the European Cup, the Honvéd players were in a difficult situation. They chose not to return to Hungary and brought their families to join them. Despite objections from FIFA and the Hungarian Football Federation (which was controlled by the Soviet Union), their former coach, Béla Guttmann, organized a fundraising tour. They played matches in Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
They even played in a tournament in Brazil. By this time, FIFA had declared the team "illegal" and banned them from using the Honvéd name. After returning to Europe, the players went their separate ways. Some, like József Bozsik and Gyula Grosics, went back to Hungary. Others, including Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, and Ferenc Puskás, found new clubs in Western Europe. Czibor and Kocsis joined FC Barcelona, while Puskás became a star at Real Madrid.
Challenges and Comebacks
Losing key players like Czibor, Kocsis, and Puskás made Honvéd much weaker. In 1957, they almost got relegated from the top division. Despite new talents like Lajos Tichy, the years after the 1956 Revolution were tough for Honvéd. Their main successes were winning the Mitropa Cup in 1959 and the Hungarian Cup in 1964.
The Second Golden Age
In 1980, with Lajos Tichy as coach, Honvéd won their first Hungarian League title in 25 years! This started a new successful period. In the 1980s and early 1990s, players like Lajos Détári helped Honvéd win seven more league titles. They also won the league and cup in the same year (called a "double") in 1985 and 1989, and another Hungarian Cup in 1996.
Kispest Honvéd FC and Recent Times
In 1991, the club brought back the "Kispest" name, becoming Kispest Honvéd FC. However, this period saw a decline in the club's fortunes. In 2003, they were even relegated to a lower division, but they quickly returned the next season.
The company that owned the club faced big financial problems, owing a lot of money in taxes. This led to the company closing down. A new club, Budapest Honvéd FC, was formed and allowed to take the old club's place in the top division, but only if the tax debt was paid off.
In 2007, the fences in front of the stands at their home stadium, Bozsik József Stadion, were removed. This was a sign of a new beginning for Hungarian football.
Honvéd continued to play in European competitions. In the UEFA Cup 2007-08 season, they won a penalty shootout against Nistru Otaci but then lost to the German team Hamburger SV. In the Intertoto Cup 2008, they won against Zhetysu and Teplice, but were eliminated by Sturm Graz.
In the 2008-09 Magyar Kupa season, Honvéd won the Hungarian Cup again! They beat Győri ETO FC 1-0 over two games, which meant they could play in the Europa League. In the 2009-10 Europa League season, they faced the Turkish team Fenerbahçe and were eliminated.
Honvéd in the 2010s and 2020s
In the UEFA Europa League 2012–13 season, Honvéd played against the Albanian team Flamurtari Vlorë and won both games. In the next round, they faced the Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, which had famous players like Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto'o. Honvéd lost that match.
Even though Honvéd didn't spend the most money, they won their 14th Hungarian League title in the 2016-17 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season! This was their first league title in 24 years, thanks to their excellent youth program and steady management. This win also qualified them for the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League.
The club won the 2019-20 Magyar Kupa season by beating Mezőkövesd SE 2-1 in the final on June 3, 2020.
In 2023, Honvéd unfortunately lost a match to Puskás Akadémia FC and was relegated to the second division.
