The city of Budapest will erect a statue in tribute to footballer Sándor Kocsis, a prolific scorer of Hungary’s legendary Golden Team in the 1950s, Mayor István Tarlós said on Monday evening, marking the 90th anniversary of his birth.
As Kocsis originally played for Ferencváros, the statue will be set up near Groupama Arena, the club’s home, Tarlós said.
Citing his personal memories, the mayor said that Kocsis had been his favourite player. “The game was everything [for him] and he never complained or faked an injury.”
An Olympic champion and world championship silver medalist, Kocsis scored 75 goals in 68 appearances for Hungary, producing the highest all-time average of 1.103 goals/game. He finished the 1954 World Cup as top goalscorer, scoring 11 goals including two hat tricks. After Ferencváros, he played for Honvéd (winning 3 championships) and Barcelona (winning two championships) and was known for scoring headers. Sándor Kocsis was named among the 100 Greatest Football Players of the Century by World Soccer, ranked 68th.
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He died at the age of 49, after having been diagnosed with leukemia and stomach cancer.