When Puskás joined Real in 1958 he did so as a shadow of the Galloping Major of the Mighty Magyars, one of the greatest national teams to ever grace a pitch. Puskas had let himself go somewhat. "I can't play, I'm too fat," he told his Real suitor, Santiago Bernabeu. Real signed him anyway.
His four goals in the final were like salt rubbed into a wound in more ways than one. Six years before, after his Hungary team had lost the World Cup final to West Germany, he had accused his opponents of doping. Even though he later retracted the comments, he wasn't forgiven.
The German football authorities banned any of their sides from playing against a team with Puskas in it. The Hungarian had to make a formal apology before the final went ahead. That's where his contrition ended. His four goals brought his European Cup tally to 12 for the season. When he finished his time in Madrid, he had 240 goals in 260 games.
Real's short passing networks did for Eintracht. They knew of Puskas' ruthlessness but couldn't shut him down. They knew of the burning pace of Gento on one side and the exquisite, and almost forgotten, Brazilian Canario on the other but couldn't hold them back. They knew what Del Sol could do but his rapid movement was too much for them.
5 окт 2024
