 Kubala withBarcelona in 1953 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1927-06-10)10 June 1927 | ||
| Place of birth | Budapest,Hungary | ||
| Date of death | 17 May 2002(2002-05-17) (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft9+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1939–1943 | Ganz-MÁVAG SE | ||
| 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 | Paraguay | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
László Kubala[1] (10 June 1927 – 17 May 2002) was a Czechoslovak and Hungarian professionalfootballer. He played as aforward forFerencváros,Slovan Bratislava,Barcelona, andEspanyol, among other clubs. Regarded as one of the greatest 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 skilfuldribbling, composed and powerful finishing, and accuracy fromfree kicks. During the 1950s, he was a leading member of the successful Barcelona team, scoring 280 goals in 345 appearances (including unofficial goals). During the club's 1999 centenary celebrations, a fan's poll declared Kubala the best player ever to play for the Spanish club. After retiring as a player, he had two spells as coach of Barcelona and also coached both Spain'ssenior national team andSpain national under-21 football team.[6][7]
Kubala was born inBudapest, as were his parents, who came from mixed backgrounds. His mother, Anna Stecz, a factory worker, had Polish and Slovak roots, while his father, Pál Kubala Kurjas, a bricklayer, was Slovak. 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 forFerencvárosi where he was a teammate ofSándor Kocsis. In 1946, Kubala moved toCzechoslovakia, allegedly to avoid military service,[citation needed] and joinedSlovan Bratislava. In 1947, he married Anna Viola Daučíkova, the sister of the Czechoslovak national coach,Ferdinand Daučík. In 1948, Kubala returned to Hungary, again to allegedly avoid military service,[citation needed] and joinedVasas.
In January 1949, as Hungary was occupied by the Soviet Union and became a communistsatellite state, Kubala fled the country in the back of a truck. Initially, he arrived in the United States zone ofAllied-occupied Austria and then moved on to Italy, where he played briefly forPro Patria. In May 1949, he also agreed to play forTorino in a testimonial againstBenfica, but pulled out after his son became ill. On the way back fromLisbon, the plane carrying the Torino team crashed into theSuperga hills, killing all 31 people on board.
Meanwhile, theHungarian Football Federation accused Kubala of breach of contract, leaving the country without permission, and failure to do military service.FIFA backed them and imposed a one-year international ban. In January 1950, Kubala, withFerdinand Daučík as coach, formed his own team,Hungaria, which was made up of fellow refugees fleeing Eastern Europe. In the summer of 1950, the team arrived in Spain to play a series offriendlies against a Madrid XI, aSpain XI and Espanyol. They also played a friendly game against the legendaryMillonarios led byAlfredo Di Stéfano.[9][10]
During these games, Kubala was spotted by bothReal Madrid andJosé Samitier, then chief scout at Barcelona. Kubala was offered a contract by Real but was persuaded by Samitier to sign for Barcelona. Samitier used his connections within the government ofFrancisco Franco to help arrange the transfer. Franco's government wanted to utilize Kubala's status as a refugee from one of the USSR's satellite countries to reinforce the regime's validity, thus helping Kubala obtain Spanish citizenship without delay.[11] In the midst of theCold War, Kubala's escape to the West was used as propaganda by Franco's government and was made into a successful film,The Stars Search for Peace, which saw Kubala and Samitier playing themselves.[12][13]
Kubala signed for Barcelona on 15 June 1950, and as part of the deal,Ferdinand Daučík also became the Barcelona coach. However, the ban imposed on Kubala was still in place and he did not make hisLa Liga debut until 1951. He was permitted to play friendlies, and in two consecutive games against Frankfurter S.V., which Barcelona won 4–1 and 10–4, he scored six goals and assisted another five. He also played in theCopa del Generalísimo and helped the club win the trophy in 1951.
In his first La Liga season,1951–52, Kubala scored 26 goals in 19 games. This included 7 goals in a 9–0 win overSporting de Gijón, five againstCelta Vigo andhat-tricks againstSevilla andRacing Santander. His seven goals against Gijón remain the record for most goals scored in a single match in La Liga. He also scored in the Copa del Generalísimo final as Barcelona beatValencia 4–2. This season proved to be one of the club's most successful. Coach Daučík and Kubala, together with players likeEmilio Aldecoa,Velasco,Joan Segarra andRamallets, inspired the team to win five trophies, including La Liga, the Copa del Generalísimo, theLatin Cup, and theCopa Eva Duarte. Kubala missed much of the1952–53 season after contractingtuberculosis, which threatened to end his playing career. However, he made a miraculous recovery and returned to help Barcelona retain both La Liga and the Copa del Generalísimo. He also scored again in the Copa final win, a 2–1 win overAthletic Bilbao. During his time with Barcelona, he scored a total of 14 hat-tricks.
In 1958, Kubala persuaded two fellow Hungarian refugeesSándor Kocsis andZoltán Czibor to join him at Barcelona. Together with a youngLuis Suárez andEvaristo, they formed the nucleus of the team that won a La Liga / Copa del Generalísimo double in 1959 and a La Liga /Fairs Cup double in 1960. However, Kubala found himself out of favour with coachHelenio Herrera and lost his place in the team. As a result, he missed the 1960European Cup semi-final againstReal Madrid which Barcelona lost 6–2 on aggregate. The result saw Herrera lose his job and Kubala restored to the team. In the 1961European Cup, Barcelona became the first club to beat Real Madrid in the competition. Inspired by Kubala they won 4–3 on aggregate and subsequently reached the final where they lost toBenfica 2–3. Kubala briefly retired as a player in 1961 and initially became a youth coach at Barcelona, before becoming coach of the senior team for the1962–63 season. However, after losing aFairs Cup game toRed Star Belgrade, he was dismissed. In the summer of 1963, he played abroad in theEastern Canada Professional Soccer League withToronto City.[14]
Kubala played for three international teams –Czechoslovakia,Hungary andSpain. While playing withŠK Slovan Bratislava, he appeared in six games and scored four goals forCzechoslovakia between 1946 and 1947. After returning to Budapest in 1948, he played three games forHungary but failed to score. After adopting Spanish nationality, Kubala played 19 times and scored 11 goals forSpain between 1953 and 1961, being one of a small group to haveplayed for the country having been born elsewhere. The highlight of his international career was a hat-trick for Spain againstTurkey 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 the1962 World Cup but, along withAlfredo Di Stéfano, did not play due to injury.
As well as playing for three international teams, Kubala also played for both aEurope XI and theCatalan XI. On 21 October 1953,England played a Europe XI atWembley Stadium to celebrate the 90th anniversary ofthe Football Association and Kubala scored twice in the 4–4 draw. He also played four games and scored four times for the Catalan XI. On 26 January 1955, in a game againstBologna atLes Corts, he was joined by guest playerAlfredo Di Stéfano; the Catalan XI won 6–2 with two goals from Kubala and one from Di Stéfano. His last game for the Catalan XI was his owntestimonial on 4 March 1993 at theMontjuïc Stadium against an International XI. He played the opening ten minutes of the game at age 65.
After leaving Barcelona, Kubala accepted a contract as aplayer-coach with Espanyol and teamed up withAlfredo Di Stéfano. During his time at Espanyol, he gave a La Liga debut to his son,Branko. In 1966, he joinedZürich, again as player-coach, and made his last appearance in aEuropean Cup game against the competition's eventual winners,Celtic. In 1967, Kubala went to Canada, where atToronto 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 atCórdoba, he became coach of theSpain national team. Kubala ended the team's eleven-year absence from the World Cup when he guided the team to the1978 World Cup, but could not steer them through the first-round group stage. He also managed them atEuro 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 toSaudi Arabia where he managedAl-Hilal. He subsequently managed three other La Liga clubs, includingMálaga, whom he guided to theSegunda División title in1988. His last coaching position was withParaguay in 1995.[18][19]
| 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 | ||||
| Ferencváros | 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 | ||
| 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 | |
| No. | Team | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Czechoslovakia | 31 August 1947 | Stadion Letná,Prague, Czechoslovakia |  Poland | 3–0 | 6–3 | Friendly | [22] |
| 2 | 6–3 | |||||||
| 3 | 21 September 1947 | Bucharest, Romania |  Romania | 1–0 | 6–2 | Friendly | [23] | |
| 4 | 5–2 | |||||||
| 5 |  Spain | 12 July 1953 | Estadio Nacional,Santiago, Chile |  Chile | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | [24] |
| 6 | 30 January 1957 | Estadio Chamartín,Madrid, Spain |  Netherlands | 3–0 | 5–1 | Friendly | [25] | |
| 7 | 8 May 1957 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, Scotland |  Scotland | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification | [26] | |
| 8 | 26 May 1957 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain | Scotland | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification | [27] | |
| 9 | 6 November 1957 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain |  Turkey | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [28] | |
| 10 | 2–0 | |||||||
| 11 | 3–0 | |||||||
| 12 | 24 November 1957 | Stade Olympique de la Pontaise,Lausanne, Switzerland |  Switzerland | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification | [29] | |
| 13 | 4–1 | |||||||
| 14 | 13 March 1958 | Parc des Princes,Paris, France |  France | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly | [30] | |
| 15 | 15 October 1958 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain |  Northern Ireland | 2–0 | 6–2 | Friendly | [31] |
Barcelona
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Málaga
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