Lajos Kocsis (18 June 1947 in

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

– 9 October 2000 in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

) was a Hungarian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, who played for Bp. Honvéd SE. He was an Olympic champion in 1968.

Club career

Kocsis started his career in his native town of Szeged, with third-division Szegedi VSE. Lajos became a first-division player in 1966, having been transferred to then first division Salgótarjáni BTC. A year later, he moved to Budapest to play for Honvéd, where he spent ten years and became one of Hungary's best-known and most popular football players. Kocsis was considered as Hungary's most talented footballer since Ferenc Puskás, some stating he was even more talented than his famous predecessor. Yet he failed to fulfill the expectations of both fans and experts because of his flamboyant lifestyle (including frequent and hard drinking), which ultimately led to his expulsion from Honvéd in 1977, despite having been one of the most popular characters in Hungarian football, adored both for his high technical skills and good sense of humor. He was particularly feared by his adversaries for his free-kicks and unpredictable, Garrincha-type dribbling. He scored one of his most memorable goals at Vienna's Prater Stadium in a 1974 World Cup qualification match against Austria on 15 October 1972. In 1975, he was elected Hungarian footballer of the year. Following the end of his stay at Honvéd, he played for second-division Gyulai SE.

International career

Kocsis won a gold medal at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

and a silver medal at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

, and also participated in the final tournament of the 1972 UEFA European Championship in Belgium. He earned 33 caps and scored 7 goals for the

Hungary national football team The Hungary national football team (, ) represents Hungary in men's international Association football, football, and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation. The team has made nine appearances in the FIFA World Cup, and five in the ...

Personal life

His son Lajos Kocsis Jr. was also a football player but had a much less outstanding career, mostly playing for lower division teams.

References

External links

* * 1947 births 2000 deaths Footballers from Szeged Men's association football midfielders Hungarian men's footballers Hungary men's international footballers Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Budapest Honvéd FC players Salgótarjáni BTC footballers UEFA Euro 1972 players Olympic footballers for Hungary Footballers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Footballers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Hungary Olympic silver medalists for Hungary Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics 20th-century Hungarian sportsmen {{Hungary-footy-midfielder-stub