László Kubala
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | László Kubala[1] | ||
Date of birth | 10 June 1927 | ||
Place of birth | Budapest, Hungary | ||
Date of death | 17 May 2002 | (aged 74)||
Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
Position(s) |
Striker | ||
Youth career | |||
1939–1943 | Ganz TE | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1944 | Ganz TE | 9 | (2) |
1945–1946 | Ferencváros | 49 | (27) |
1946–1948 | Slovan Bratislava | 33 | (14) |
1948–1949 | Vasas | 20 | (10) |
1949–1950 | Pro Patria | 16 | (9) |
1950 | Hungária | 6 | (5) |
1951–1961 | Barcelona | 186 | (131) |
1963 | Toronto City | 25 | (18) |
1963–1965 | Espanyol | 29 | (7) |
1966–1967 | Zürich | 12 | (7) |
1967 | Toronto Falcons | 19 | (5) |
Total | 404 | (235) | |
International career | |||
1946–1947 | Czechoslovakia | 6 | (4) |
1948 | Hungary | 3 | (0) |
1953–1961 | Spain | 19 | (11) |
1953–1965 | Europe XI | 2 | (3) |
1954–1963 | Catalonia | 4 | (4) |
Managerial career | |||
1961–1963 | Barcelona | ||
1963–1966 | Espanyol | ||
1966–1967 | Zürich | ||
1968 | Toronto Falcons | ||
1968–1969 | Córdoba | ||
1969–1980 | Spain | ||
1980 | Barcelona | ||
1982–1986 |
Al-Hilal | ||
1986 |
Murcia | ||
1987–1988 | Málaga | ||
1988–1989 | Elche | ||
1992 | Spain Olympic | ||
1995 | Paraguay | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
László Kubala[1] (10 June 1927 – 17 May 2002) was a professional footballer. He played as a forward for Ferencváros, Slovan Bratislava, Barcelona and Espanyol, among other clubs. Regarded as one of the best players in history, Kubala is considered a hero of Barcelona.[2] A Hungarian national by birth, he also held Czechoslovak and Spanish citizenship, and played for the national teams of all three countries.[3][4][5]
Kubala was noted for his quick and skilful
Early life and career
Childhood and youth
Kubala was born in Budapest, as were his parents, who came from mixed backgrounds. His mother, Anna Stecz, a factory worker, had Polish, Slovak and Hungarian roots, while his father, Pál Kubala Kurjas, a bricklayer, belonged to the Slovak minority of Hungary. Kubala described himself as a "cosmopolitan". He began his career as a junior player with Ganz TE, a factory team that played in the Hungarian third division. At the age of 11, he was playing in teams with other players who were three to five years older.[8] At the age of 18, he signed for Ferencvárosi where he was a teammate of Sándor Kocsis. In 1946, Kubala moved to Czechoslovakia, allegedly to avoid military service,[citation needed] and joined Slovan Bratislava. In 1947, he married Anna Viola Daučíkova, the sister of the Czechoslovakian national coach, Ferdinand Daučík. In 1948, Kubala returned to Hungary, again to allegedly avoid military service,[citation needed] and joined Vasas.
Refugee
In January 1949, as Hungary was occupied by the Soviet Union and became a communist
Meanwhile, the
During these games, Kubala was spotted by both
Barcelona
Kubala signed for Barcelona on 15 June 1950, and as part of the deal,
In his first La Liga season,
In 1958, Kubala persuaded two fellow Hungarian refugees
International career
Kubala played for three international teams – Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Spain. While playing with ŠK Slovan Bratislava, he appeared in six games and scored four goals for Czechoslovakia between 1946 and 1947. After returning to Budapest in 1948, he played three games for Hungary but failed to score. After adopting Spanish nationality, Kubala played 19 times and scored 11 goals for Spain between 1953 and 1961, being one of a small group to have played for the country having been born elsewhere. The highlight of his international career was a hat-trick for Spain against Turkey in 3–0 win in November 1957.[15][16] Despite playing for three countries, Kubala never played in the finals of a major international tournament. He was included in the Spain squad for the 1962 World Cup but, along with Alfredo Di Stéfano, did not play due to injury.
As well as playing for three international teams, Kubala also played for both a
Coaching career
After leaving Barcelona, Kubala accepted a contract as a player-coach with Espanyol and teamed up with Alfredo Di Stéfano. During his time at Espanyol, he gave a La Liga debut to his son, Branko. In 1966, he joined Zürich, again as player-coach, and made his last appearance in a European Cup game against the competition's eventual winners, Celtic. In 1967, Kubala went to Canada, where at Toronto Falcons he enjoyed something of family reunion with his father-in-law, Ferdinand Daučík, his brother-in-law, Yanko Daucik and his son Branko. He appeared in 19 matches for Toronto, scoring five times.[17]
By the end of 1968, he had returned to La Liga, and after a brief spell at Córdoba, he became coach of the Spain national team. Kubala ended the team's eleven-year absence from the World Cup when he guided the team to the 1978 World Cup, but could not steer them through the first-round group stage. He also managed them at Euro 80, where they were again eliminated in the first round.
In 1980, he returned to Barcelona as a manager for a second short spell before moving to
Career statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Ganz TE | 1943–44[20] | Nemzeti Bajnokság II | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | ||||
Ferencvárosi | 1944[20] | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | ||||||||
1945[20] | 22 | 19 | 22 | 19 | ||||||
1945–46[20] | 27 | 14 | 27 | 14 | ||||||
Total | 49 | 33 | 49 | 33 | ||||||
Slovan Bratislava | 1946–47[20] | Czechoslovak First League | 24 | 13 | 24 | 13 | ||||
1947–48[20] | 9 | 1 | 9 | 1 | ||||||
Total | 33 | 14 | 33 | 14 | ||||||
Vasas | 1948–49[20] | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 20 | 10 | 20 | 10 | ||||
1949–50[20] | 12 | 6 | 12 | 6 | ||||||
Total | 32 | 16 | 32 | 16 | ||||||
Pro Patria | 1949–50[20] | Serie A | 16 | 9 | 16 | 9 | ||||
Hungária | 1950–51[20] | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | |||||
Barcelona | 1951–52[20][21] | La Liga | 19 | 26 | 19 | 26 | ||||
1952–53[20][21] | 11 | 7 | 11 | 7 | ||||||
1953–54[20][21] | 28 | 23 | 28 | 23 | ||||||
1954–55[20][21] | 19 | 14 | 19 | 14 | ||||||
1955–56[20][21] | 25 | 14 | 3[a] | 3 | 28 | 17 | ||||
1956–57[21] | 18 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 9 | ||||
1957–58[21] | 21 | 12 | 21 | 12 | ||||||
1958–59[20][21] | 20 | 9 | 5[a] | 3 | 25 | 12 | ||||
1959–60[20][21] | 12 | 7 | 3[b] | 6 | 15 | 13 | ||||
1960–61[20][21] | 13 | 10 | 9[c] | 1 | 22 | 11 | ||||
Total | 186 | 131 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 13 | 207 | 144 | ||
Toronto City | 1962[20] | ECPSL | ||||||||
Espanyol | 1963–64[20][21] | La Liga | 29 | 7 | 29 | 7 | ||||
Zürich | 1965–66[20] | Nationalliga A | 12 | 7 | 12 | 7 | ||||
1966–67[20][21] | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
Total | 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 7 | ||||
Toronto Falcons | 1967[20] | NPSL | 19 | 5 | 19 | 5 | ||||
Career total | 391 | 229 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 13 | 413 | 242 |
- ^ a b Appearances in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
- ^ a b Appearances in European Cup
- ^ Eight appearances and one goal in European Cup, one appearance in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
International
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Czechoslovakia | 1946 | 1 | 0 |
1947 | 5 | 4 | |
Total | 6 | 4 | |
Hungary | 1948 | 3 | 0 |
Total | 3 | 0 | |
Spain | 1953 | 3 | 1 |
1954 | 1 | 0 | |
1955 | 2 | 0 | |
1956 | 4 | 4 | |
1957 | 2 | 4 | |
1958 | 3 | 2 | |
1959 | 3 | 0 | |
1960 | 0 | 0 | |
1961 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 19 | 11 | |
Career total | 28 | 15 |
Honours
Player
Barcelona
- La Liga: 1951–52, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1959–60
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1955–58, 1958–60
- Latin Cup: 1952
- Copa Eva Duarte: 1952, 1953
- European Cup runner-up: 1960–61
Individual
- Ballon d'Or: fifth place 1957
- World XI: 1961[22]
Manager
Málaga
References
- ^ ISBN 978-87-02-08764-2.
- ^ "Ladislavovi Kubalovi sa v Barcelone dostane veľkej pocty".
- ^ "Barcelona: The greatest ever XI". The Telegraph. 2 December 2016.
- ^ "Why Laszlo Kubala, and not Lionel Messi, is the greatest Barcelona player of all time". 16 September 2014.
- ^ "The great refugee: How László Kubala became a Barcelona legend". 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Award for Barcelona great". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2002. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "'The greatest Barcelona player ever'". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Ladislav Kubala". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ The great refugee: how László Kubala became a Barcelona legend, These Football Times, 2 February 2017
- ^ Laszlo Kubala – F.C. Barcelona's Game Changer, Beyond The Last Man, 27 March 2019
- ^ Kubala (2012), Frederic Porta
- ^ Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football (2003), Phil Ball
- ^ Barça: A People's Passion (1998), Jimmy Burns
- Toronto Daily Star. p. 15.
- ^ "Ladislao Kubala Stecz – Goals in International Matches". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ "Fútbol en la Red". futbol.sportec.es. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "NASL". Nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ "Fútbol en la Red". futbol.sportec.es. Archived from the original on 9 March 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Web Oficial de la Liga de Fútbol Profesional". www.lfp.es. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w László Kubala at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "László Kubala » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "Eric Batty's World XI – The Sixties". Beyond The Last Man. 29 April 2013. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
External links
- Ladislao Kubala – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Ladislao Kubala at Olympedia