| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1901-07-21)21 July 1901 | ||
| Place of birth | Budapest,Austria-Hungary | ||
| Date of death | 29 March 1983(1983-03-29) (aged 81)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Budapest,Hungary | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1920–1925 | Kispest AC | 62 | (2) |
| 1925–1927 | Padova | 35 | (0) |
| 1927–1928 | MTK Budapest | 2 | (0) |
| 1928 | 33 FC | 5 | (0) |
| 1929 | Sabaria | 3 | (0) |
| 1930–1931 | Pécs-Baranya | 18 | (0) |
| 1931–1932 | Kerületi | 20 | (2) |
| 1933 | Amiens | ||
| 1933–1936 | Boavista | ||
| International career | |||
| 1924–1934 | Hungary | 5 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1935–1936 | Porto | ||
| 1937–1939 | Académico Porto | ||
| 1939–1947 | Benfica | ||
| 1947–1949 | Estoril Praia | ||
| 1949–1951 | Guimarães | ||
| 1951–1952 | Atlético | ||
| 1952–1955 | Setúbal | ||
| 1955–1956 | Oriental | ||
| 1956–1957 | Fabril Barreiro | ||
| 1957–1958 | Oriental | ||
| 1958 | Lusitânia | ||
| 1958–1959 | Académica | ||
| 1959–1960 | Lusitano Évora | ||
| 1960–1961 | Setúbal | ||
| 1965–1966 | Lusitano Évora | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
János Biri (21 July 1901 – 29 March 1983) was a Hungarianfootballer andcoach. Biri played as agoalkeeper for a number of clubs, most notablyPadova andMTK Budapest FC, also representingHungary in the1924 Summer Olympics.[2] He is best known for his coaching career in Portugal which spanned more than three decades.
Born inBudapest, Biri career in football started in a hometown club,Kispest AC at the age of 19. His performances earned him a place in theHungary national team squad for the1924 Summer Olympics.[3] In 1925, he moved to Italy, representingPadova in the early days of what was to known asSerie A. After two seasons in Italy, he returned to Hungary, passing through several teams,[4] without much success, having short spells in France and Portugal, retiring in 1936, at age 35.
Shortly after, Biri started coachingPorto, winningCampeonato de Porto and coming runner-up inPrimeira Liga in his only season there. After a brief spell withAcadémico Porto, he was then hired byBenfica's President, Augusto da Fonseca Jr. In the eight seasons he spent there, he successfully challengedSporting dominance, claiming threePrimeira Liga titles and threeTaça de Portugal.[5][6]
He held therecord for most games managed and won, for over 75 years, untilJorge Jesus surpassed him in 2014. However, he still has the highest winning percentage of any other coach with at least 100 games and the second longest reign with 8 years, afterCosme Damião.[7] After Benfica, János managed eleven other teams, retiring as coach in 1966, after more than 30 years in managerial roles.[citation needed]
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||||
| Benfica[7] | 1 August 1939 | 2 July 1947 | 272 | 194 | 25 | 53 | 071.32 | |||
Porto
Benfica[8]
