Ferenc Puskás (1958-1967)

Ferenc Puskás (born April 2 , 1927 in Budapest ) was a Hungarian football player, nicknamed Puskás Öcsi ( öcsi means "little brother"). Puskas is a Real Madrid legend.

Also known as the "Galloping Major" because of the post he once held in the Hungarian army, Puskás possessed a ferocious left-footed shot (some claimed it was the most powerful ever seen on a left foot) and was the star of the Hungarian national team of the late 1940s and early 1950s (nicknamed the "Magnificent Magyars"), which many regarded as the finest national team of its time.

Although he left school at the age of 12, he was a professional football player as a teenager. Puskás started his club career with Budapesti Honvéd in 1943 . He moved to Real Madrid in 1958 , and played for them when they won the European Cup three times (1959, 1960 and 1966), including the classic final in 1960 when they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3. Puskás scored four goals, with Alfredo Di Stefano scoring three. This Madrid team was considered one of the finest teams to ever assembled to play the game. In his club career, he apparently totalled 511 goals, a number believed to be third all-time behind Pelé and Josef Bican .

Because of political reasons Puskás left Hungary in 1956 and immigrated to Spain where he played in Real Madrid . Puskás also appeared four times for the Spanish national team in 1961 and 1962 , but did not score. His 83 international goals in 84 appearances were an all-time record (for men) until 2003 , when it was broken by Iran 's Ali Daei .

Puskás, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease , is one of the most famous living Hungarians and lives now in Budapest in a special care home. Hungary 's national stadium was renamed in his honor in 2001.