10 Best Hungarian Football (Soccer) Players of All Time

Icon for soccer from Hungary photo by Simo82 – Wikimedia commons

10 Best Hungarian Football (Soccer) Players of All Time

Although players from the 1950s frequently top lists of Hungary’s greatest-ever footballers, this was a time when the country had one of the best football teams the world has ever seen.

This legendary group of athletes had led their team to a 32-game winning streak before the World Cup Final in 1954. Unfortunately, they lost their record in the final against West Germany, a team they had destroyed 8-3 in the group stages, just when it counted the most.

Hungary has a great football history, having won three Olympic medals, finishing second in the World Cups of 1938 and 1954, and finishing third in the UEFA European Football Championship of 1964.  Despite defeating Poland 2-1 in Warsaw in the final World Cup qualification match, Hungary said their final goodbyes to Qatar for the 2022 world cup.

This, however, does not hide the reality that Hungary boasts some of the best soccer talents from the past, as well as an even brighter scene of young blood for the foreseeable future. Here are the top 10 best Hungarian football players of all time.

1. Ferenc Puskás

Budapest Sports Hall, Ferenc Puskás photo by FOTO: FORTEPAN / URBÁN TAMÁS – Wikimedia commons

Generally regarded as one of the game’s best players, the greatest striker of all time, and its first global celebrity, Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian football player and manager.

He was a striker who scored 514 goals in 529 league games for Hungary and Spain, as well as 84 goals in 85 international appearances for Hungary and four goals in four international contests for Spain. He was chosen in 1995 by the IFFHS as the highest scorer of the 20th century. With 806 goals in 793 professional appearances, he is the fourth-best scorer of all time.

In the 1950s, he served as captain and an important member of the Mighty Magyars, the national team of Hungary. Two years after the Hungarian Revolution, in 1958, he relocated to Spain and began playing for Real Madrid.

With Real Madrid, Puskás won four Pichichis and netted seven goals in two finals of the European Champions Cup. In 2002, the Népstadion in Budapest was given the new name Puskás Ferenc Stadion in his honour.  At the UEFA Jubilee Awards in November 2003, the Hungarian Football Federation named him the best Hungarian player of the preceding 50 years.

In October 2009, FIFA created the FIFA Puskás Award, which would be granted to the player who had scored the previous year’s “most beautiful goal.” 

2. Sándor Kocsis

Sándor Kocsis, footballer of the Budapesti Honvéd SE team photo by Fortepan/Faragó György – Wikimedia commons

Kocsis, one of Hungary’s key soccer players in the 1950s, is among football’s most productive strikers. His remarkable tally of 75 goals in 68 games for Hungary is the finest goal-scoring percentage in the annals of international football.

He was also quite skilled at the club level, scoring over one goal per game for Ferencváros between 1945 and 1956.

Following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, Kocsis relocated to Switzerland and spent a season playing for Young Fellows Zurich before being persuaded to join László Kubala at Barcelona.  He continued to score goals at Camp Nou, where he helped the team win two La Liga championships.

3. Ádám Szalai

The professional soccer player Ádám Szalai in the jersey of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim during the home game against SV Werder Bremen photo by Silesia711 – Wikimedia commons

Ádám Csaba Szalai, a forward for the Swiss team Basel, is a professional football player from Hungary. He was a former international for Hungary.

He signed with VfB Stuttgart in 2004 and played for Mainz 05, Schalke 04, 1899 Hoffenheim, and Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga. He spent the majority of his career in Germany. Szalai, a Hungarian international since 2009, competed for his country in two European Championships and scored once there.

Szalai frequently appeared for Hungary’s under-21 team. He made his full-team debut on February 11, 2009, taking Zoltán Szélesi’s place in the 84th minute of a 0-1 friendly loss to Israel.

On 8 October 2012, he scored three goals in an 8-0 thumping of San Marino at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier. Four days later, in the same competition, he provided another goal to Finland’s 2-1 victory.

Szalai returned to the national team setup after a one-year injury with a goal against Bulgaria in a friendly tie in Gyr on February 29, 2012. Szalai scored the second goal in Hungary’s 3-1 victory over Turkey on October 16, 2012, after an assist from Tamás Kádár.

On September 21, 2022, he announced his retirement from international football, with his final appearance being the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League A encounter against Italy.

4. Roland Sallai

Roland Sallai (Front) and Merih Demiral (Back) in the international match between Turkey and Hungary photo by mlsz. hu – Wikimedia commons

Roland Sallai is a professional football player from Hungary who plays for both the Hungary national team and the Bundesliga club SC Freiburg as a winger.

On May 20, 2016, at the Groupama Arena in Budapest, Hungary, he made his full international debut against the Ivory Coast in a friendly match.  Sallai was included in Hungary’s preliminary Euro 2016 roster on May 5, 2016, but he was not included in the team that ultimately competed.

In a 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C game on September 11, 2018, he scored his first goal for his country against Greece at the Groupama Arena in Budapest.

5. Vilmos Tamas Orban

Willi Orban, soccer player photo by Thomas Hilmes – Wikimedia commons

Willi, as he is also known, is another Hungarian in the Leipzig books. Since his debut for Hungary in 2018, the 28-year-old defender has played roughly 28 times.

During that time, he has scored 5 goals, which is a respectable total for a centre-back. He competed in the recent 2021 Euros, as well as the unsuccessful campaign to help his country navigate the European qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

6. László Kubala

Kubala in FC Barcelona’s shirt during a FIFA demonstration match photo by Nationaal Archief, Den Haag – Wikimedia commons

Kubala was a superb attacking player who could play as a forward or an attacking midfielder due to his accurate and powerful shooting, as well as his poise, speed, and dribbling abilities.

To start a new life in the west, Kubala fled his native Hungary and crossed the Iron Curtain in his complicated life and career. In the end, he decided to sign with Barcelona in 1951, and he went on to become one of the team’s most recognizable players. Kubala ultimately spent ten years at Barcelona, where he won two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups and four La Liga championships.

7. Dominik Szoboszlai

Dominik Szoboszlai photo by Werner100359 – Wikimedia commons

Dominik Szoboszlai is a professional footballer from Hungary who currently plays in the midfield for both the Hungary national team and the Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.

Szoboszlai, both as a junior and senior, represented Hungary internationally. He made his senior debut at the Euro 2020 qualifications, and his last-second goal against Iceland in the semifinals helped his nation secure a spot in the championship.

Hungary defeated England 1-0 on June 4, 2022, in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A thanks to a penalty kick by Szoboszlai. This victory marked Hungary’s first over England since May 31, 1962, when the 1962 FIFA World Cup was taking place. 

8. Péter Gulácsi

Péter Gulácsi at the Aufstiegsfeier RB Leipzig 2016 photo by Christian Bier – Wikimedia commons

Péter Gulácsi is a Hungarian football goalkeeper who plays for the Bundesliga club RB Leipzig as well as the Hungary national team. Gulácsi gained his first call-up for Hungary in May 2008, and he was an unused replacement in their 1-1 tie with Croatia.

In the FIFA U-20 World Cup penalty shootouts, Gulácsi was Hungary’s hero versus the Czech Republic.  He stopped three penalties during a penalty shoot-out in the third-place match between Hungary and Costa Rica at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, leading his team to victory and a bronze medal.

He stopped three penalties during a penalty shoot-out in the third-place match between Hungary and Costa Rica at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, leading his team to victory and a bronze medal.

 In 2021, a post on Gulácsi’s Facebook page caused turmoil in Hungarian media. Gulácsi expressed his wish to join the Family in a family campaign in Hungary. The campaign promotes acceptance of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights in Hungary.

9. József Bozsik

József Bozsik, footballer of the Budapesti Honvéd SE team photo by Fortepan/Faragó György – Wikimedia commons

József Bozsik was a midfielder for the Hungarian national team. He spent his entire club career at Budapest Honvéd, his local club. Bozsik was a vital member of Hungary’s famed Golden Team, representing the country in numerous international tournaments.

Honvéd named their stadium after him, Bozsik József Stadion. He debuted for Hungary at the age of 21 against Bulgaria on August 17, 1947, and went on to win 101 caps and score 11 goals until retiring on April 18, 1962, against Uruguay.

He was the most capped Hungarian player until 2016 when goalkeeper Gábor Király broke his record.  Bozsik placed second with the Hungarian team in the 1954 FIFA World Cup after helping his nation win the Olympic gold medal in Helsinki in 1952. He also participated in Hungary’s historic victories over England at Wembley, 6-3, and at Budapest, 7-1.

10. Ádám Nagy

Ádám Nagy playing for Hungary national football team in the game against Iceland at Euro 2016 photo by Chensiyuan – Wikimedia commons

Ádám Nagy is a professional footballer from Hungary who now plays in the midfield for both the Hungary national team and Serie B side Pisa. He started his career at Ferencváros, where he made his professional debut in May 2015 and for the first team in August 2013.

Nagy represented Hungary at the youth level with eight appearances and one goal. He was selected for UEFA Euro 2016 and made his full international debut against Northern Ireland on September 7, 2015, coming on as a replacement.  On 1 June 2021, Nagy was included in the final 26-man squad to represent Hungary at the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.