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 Czibor in 1954 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 23 August 1929 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kaposvár,Hungary | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 1 September 1997(1997-09-01) (aged 68) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Győr, Hungary | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | (?) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1949–1956 | Hungary | 43 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Zoltán Czibor (23 August 1929 – 1 September 1997)[1] was a Hungarianfootballer who played for several Hungarian clubs, includingFerencváros andBudapest Honvéd, and theHungary national team before joiningCF Barcelona. Czibor played as aleft-winger orstriker and was notable for having a powerful shot, good pace and excellent ball control. During the 1950s he was part of theMagical Magyars, reaching the World Cup final with them in 1954. After the1956 Hungarian Revolution he moved to Spain where he became a prominent member of the successfulFC Barcelona team of the late 1950s. After three seasons at Barcelona, he joined their local rivalsEspañol for the 1961–62 season. After brief spells atFC Basel,Austria Wien and Primo Hamilton FC, he retired as a professional footballer and returned toHungary. He died there in 1997, aged 68.[2]
As a youth, Czibor played for Komárom AC and Komárom MÁV and was working as a train engine driver before he was noticed by Sándor Mezei, the coach of theHungary youth team. He subsequently played forFerencváros TC where he won his firstHungarian League title in 1949. After a spell withCsepel SC he conscripted into the army team,Honvéd. During his playing career in Hungarian club football, Czibor scored 100 goals in 175 matches.
Czibor made his debut for the seniorHungary team in 1949. He went on to play 43 times for Hungary and scored 17 goals. Together withFerenc Puskás,Sándor Kocsis,József Bozsik andNándor Hidegkuti, he formed the nucleus of theGolden Team that went unbeaten for 32 consecutive games. During this run they becameOlympic Champions[3] in 1952, beatingYugoslavia in theHelsinki final with Czibor scoring in a 2–0 win. They also beatEngland twice, winning6–3 atWembley Stadium and then in7–1 in 1954. In 1953 they also won theCentral European International Cup. The run came to an end in the1954 World Cup Final when they lost 3–2 toGermany although Czibor scored once more in a final.
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In 1953, Czibor joinedHonvéd where his teammates included fellow internationals Puskás, Kocsis, and Bozsik. During his time at the club he won a further twoHungarian League titles in 1954 and 1955. He finished 1955 as top goalscorer in the league after scoring 20 goals. In 1956, Honvéd FC entered theEuropean Cup and in the first round they were drawn againstAthletic Bilbao. Honvéd FC lost the away leg 3–2, but before the home leg could be played, theHungarian Revolution had erupted back inBudapest. The players decided against going back to Hungary and arranged for the return with Athletic to be played at theHeysel Stadium inBrussels. However, early in the game, the Honvéd FC goalkeeper was injured and, with no substitutes permitted, Czibor had to go into goal. Despite drawing 3–3 they went out on 6–5 on aggregate.
Elimination left Honvéd in limbo. The players summoned their families fromBudapest and, despite opposition fromFIFA and the Hungarian football authorities, they organised a fundraising tour of Italy, Portugal, Spain and Brazil. After returning to Europe, the players parted ways. Some, including Bozsik, returned to Hungary while others, including Czibor, Kocsis and Puskás, found new clubs inWestern Europe.
Czibor initially went to Italy and played a couple of unofficial games forAS Roma before another Hungarian refugee,Ladislao Kubala, persuaded him andSándor Kocsis to join him atFC Barcelona where he became a vital member to the team. He subsequently scored on hisLa Liga debut in a 6–0 win overValencia CF and as part of a team that also includedRamallets,Evaristo andLuis Suárez, Czibor won aCopa del Generalísimo andLa Liga double in 1959 and a La Liga andFairs Cup double in 1960. Although he did not play in the Copa final, he scored twice in the Fairs Cup final as CF Barcelona beatBirmingham City 4–2. CF Barcelona and Czibor also reached the final of theEuropean Cup in 1961, where he scored as Barcelona lost 3–2 to Portuguese clubS.L. Benfica.
After three seasons at Barcelona, he joined their local rivalsEspañol for the 1961–62 season. He had brief spells in Switzerland withFC Basel, and in Austria withAustria Wien. He then moved to Canada in 1964 and joined theHamilton Steelers in theEastern Canada Professional Soccer League.[4] He finished the 1964 season with Hungária SC Toronto in theNational Soccer League.[5] He then played for Toronto City in 1965.
Ferencváros
Honvéd
Barcelona
Hungary
Individual
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