Zoltán Czibor facts for kids
Czibor in 1954
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 August 1929 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kaposvár, Hungary | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 1 September 1997 (aged 68) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Győr, Hungary | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Left winger | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1942–1945 | Komárom AC | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1945–1948 | MÁV | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1948–1950 | Ferencváros TC | 70 | (33) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1951–1952 | Csepel SC | 51 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1953–1956 | Honvéd | 80 | (58) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1956 | AS Roma | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1958–1961 | FC Barcelona | 38 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1961–1962 | RCD Español | 10 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1961 | CE Europa | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1962 | FK Austria Wien | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1962 | FC Basel | ? | (?) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1964 | Hamilton Primos | (?) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1964 | Toronto Hungaria | 1 | (?) | |||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1949–1956 | Hungary | 43 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Zoltán Czibor (born August 23, 1929 – died September 1, 1997) was a famous Hungarian football player. He was known for his powerful shots, speed, and amazing ball control. Czibor played as a left-winger or striker.
He was a key part of the legendary Magical Magyars Hungarian national team in the 1950s. With them, he reached the World Cup final in 1954. After a big event in Hungary in 1956, he moved to Spain. There, he became an important player for FC Barcelona, a very successful team.
Contents
Zoltán Czibor's Football Journey
Early Days in Hungary
When he was young, Czibor played for local teams like Komárom AC. He was working as a train engine driver when a coach from the Hungarian youth team noticed him.
He then joined Ferencváros TC. With this team, he won his first Hungarian League title in 1949. Later, he played for Csepel SC before joining the army team, Honvéd. During his time in Hungarian club football, Czibor scored 100 goals in 175 matches.
The Golden Team of Hungary
Czibor first played for the senior Hungarian team in 1949. He played 43 games for Hungary and scored 17 goals. He was part of the famous Golden Team. This team included other football legends like Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis, József Bozsik, and Nándor Hidegkuti.
This amazing team went unbeaten for 32 games in a row! During this time, they won the Olympic Games in 1952. Czibor scored a goal in their 2–0 win against Yugoslavia in the final. They also famously beat England twice. They won 6–3 at Wembley Stadium and then 7–1 in 1954. In 1953, they also won the Central European International Cup.
Their incredible winning streak ended in the 1954 World Cup Final. They lost 3–2 to Germany, even though Czibor scored a goal in that final match.
Playing for Honvéd
In 1953, Czibor joined Honvéd. Many of his national teammates, like Puskás and Kocsis, also played there. With Honvéd, he won two more Hungarian League titles in 1954 and 1955. In 1955, he was the top goal scorer in the league with 20 goals.
In 1956, Honvéd played in the European Cup. They were playing against Athletic Bilbao. After the first game, a big event happened in Budapest – the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The players decided not to go back to Hungary. They played their next game in Brussels. During that game, their goalkeeper got hurt, and Czibor had to play in goal!
After this, the Honvéd team was in a difficult situation. Some players went back to Hungary, but others, like Czibor, Kocsis, and Puskás, found new teams in Western Europe.
Life in Spain with Barcelona
Czibor first went to Italy and played a few unofficial games for AS Roma. Then, another Hungarian player, Ladislao Kubala, convinced him and Sándor Kocsis to join him at FC Barcelona. Czibor quickly became a very important player for the team.
He scored in his first game for Barcelona, a 6–0 win against Valencia CF. With Barcelona, Czibor won many titles. They won the Spanish Cup and La Liga (the Spanish league) in 1959. They also won La Liga and the Fairs Cup in 1960. Czibor scored two goals in the Fairs Cup final, helping Barcelona win 4–2.
In 1961, Barcelona and Czibor reached the final of the European Cup. Czibor scored a goal, but Barcelona lost 3–2 to S.L. Benfica.
Later Career and Retirement
After three successful seasons at Barcelona, Czibor joined their local rivals, Español, for one season. He then had short stays in Switzerland with FC Basel and in Austria with Austria Wien.
In 1964, he moved to Canada. He played for teams like the Hamilton Steelers and Hungária SC Toronto. He retired from professional football and later returned to Hungary. Zoltán Czibor passed away in 1997 at the age of 68.
Awards and Trophies
Ferencváros
- Hungarian Champions: 1949
Honvéd
- Hungarian Champions: 1954, 1955
Barcelona
- Spanish Champions: 1958–59, 1959–60
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1958–60
- European Cup runner-up: 1960-61
Hungary
- Olympic Champions: 1952
- Central European Champions: 1953
- World Cup runner-up: 1954
Individual
- Two times best player of Hungary
See Also
In Spanish: Zoltán Czibor para niños
- List of Eastern Bloc defectors
