Ferenc Puskás to be immortalised in bronze in Melbourne’s Olympic Park precinct
FIFA Puskás Award to tour regional Victoria as part of inaugural visit to Australia
The late Ferenc Puskás will take pride of place among sporting luminaries in Melbourne’s Olympic Park precinct when a bronze statue of one of the true giants of world football is unveiled at the site where he made his mark on the domestic sporting landscape.
Ferenc Puskás is considered one of the all-time greats of the world game, with an extraordinary 598 goals in 614 matches for his native Hungarian national team which dominated world football in the 1950s, and for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, among others. Puskás brought his unique football legacy to Australia nearly three decades ago when he coached South Melbourne to National Soccer League championship success in 1991 at the former Olympic Park Stadium.
Melbourne will become only the fourth city in the world to host a memorial statue of ‘The Galloping Major’, marking his contribution to the places where he left an indelible legacy including Madrid (Spain), Athens (Greece) and Budapest (Hungary).
The statue will be presented to the people of Victoria by the Government of Hungary, at an official commemoration ceremony on Saturday, 4 February to be attended by a visiting delegation of senior Hungarian government and sporting officials including Zsolt Németh, former Foreign Affairs Minister and now Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee for the Hungarian National Assembly. Local businessman and Australian delegate to the Puskás Foundation Board of Trustees, Robert Belteky, is leading the initiative on behalf of the Hungarian Government to commemorate Puskás’ contribution
to Melbourne’s rich sporting heritage. The unveiling ceremony will be hosted by respected football identify and native Hungarian, Les Murray.
“It’s fitting that the world’s sporting capital becomes home to one of the genuine legends of the global game”, said Mr Belteky. “Puskás is by far the biggest football name ever to grace our shores and his goal-scoring record is unrivalled, even by the standards of past and modern-day greats of the game such as Pele, Maradona, Messi, and Ronaldo”, he said.
“Puskás made a profound contribution to the game worldwide, and we’re extremely fortunate that he chose to bring his football know-how to Australia, ahead of countless other countries. We’re grateful to the Hungarian Government for making the statue available to the people of Melbourne,
and we thank the Victorian Government for accepting the gesture to commemorate the great man’s contribution to our renowned sporting heritage”, said Mr Belteky.
In a major coup for organisers, the statue unveiling will be preceded with a first-time visit to Australia of the prestigious FIFA Puskás Award, given each year to the player judged to have scored the best goal in world football. The Award will feature as part of a whistle-stop tour of Victorian regional (football) centres including Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the La Trobe Valley, to take place from 1-3 February 2017 in conjunction with Football Federation Victoria (FFV). The roadshow will culminate with the Award’s appearance at the 2017 PlayStation 4 National Premier League season launch headlined by the Charity Shield match between Bentleigh Greens and South Melbourne.
Football Federation Victoria President Kimon Taliadoros – a member of the Puskás-led 1991 championship-winning side – praised the legend’s impact on the world game in Victoria.
“When Mr Puskás chose to coach South Melbourne in 1989, thousands of people throughout Australia understood its significance and heralded the arrival of one of the greatest players of all time. However, it wasn’t merely his football knowledge and gravitas that highlighted his presence, but the humility, affection and goodwill that he imparted through the club and the beautiful game for those three precious years”, he said.
“For those of us fortunate to have played under him, we remain forever grateful for treasured moments of wizardry, insight and camaraderie shared at training and in conversations, as well as the joyful football we played and the success that accompanied it”, said Mr Taliadoros.
Mr Belteky described the erection of the Puskás memorial statue as an exciting initiative for football in this country. “Having recently marked the 10th anniversary of his passing, it’s appropriate that we spread the message about Puskás’ profound contribution to the game in Australia and across the
globe” he said.
GEELONG - Wednesday February 1, 2017
What: FIFA Puskás Award visit to Geelong
Who: Local football representatives including former Socceroo Steve Horvat, FFV General Manager Commercial and Media Anthony Grima and local and state government representatives TBA.
Where: Corio Soccer Club, Hume Reserve (Bell Park)
Date: Wednesday February 1, 2017
Time: Arrive at 8.50am for 9.30am start
BALLARAT - Wednesday February 1, 2017
What: FIFA Puskás Award visit to Ballarat
Who: Local football representatives, FFV General Manager Commercial and Media Anthony Grima and local and state government representatives TBA.
Where: Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility (Morshead Park Stadium Pavillion)
Date: Wednesday February 1, 2017
Time: Arrive at 11.50am for 12.30pm start
BENDIGO - Wednesday February 1, 2017
What: FIFA Puskás Award visit to Bendigo
Who: Local football representatives, FFV General Manager Commercial and Media Anthony Grima and local and state government representatives TBA.
Where: Epsom Huntley Recreation Reserve (335 Midland Hwy, Huntly)
Date: Wednesday February 1, 2017
Time: Arrive at 2.50pm for 3.30pm start
MORWELL - Thursday February 2, 2017
What: FIFA Puskás Award visit the Latrobe Valley
Who: Local football representatives, Football Federation Victoria, local and state government representatives TBA.
Where: Latrobe City Sports Stadium (Fairway Dr, Morwell)
Date: Thursday February 2, 2017
Time: Arrive at 9.30am for 10.00am start
Ferenc Puskás career highlights
Born: Budapest, 2 April, 1927
Died: Budapest, 17 November, 2006
Scorer of 83 goals in 84 matches with the Hungarian national team, and 512 goals in 528 appearances for Real Madrid.
Member of three European Cup-winning teams with Real Madrid (1959, 1960, 1966) and the only player in European Cup history to score four goals in one game.
Member of the ‘Magical Magyars’ (Hungarian national team), one of the most dominant sides in the history of world football (43 wins, 7 draws, 1 loss between 1950-1956).
Defected to Spain following the Hungarian uprising of 1956, going on to represent Spain in 1962.
Individual honours include FIFA Ballon d’Or Silver Award (1960); Spanish League top scorer (1959-60, 1960-61, 1962-63, 1963-64); World Player of the Year (1953); FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (1954); Football’s Top Scorer of the 20th Century; Golden Boot of the World (1948).
Retired in 1966 at the age of 39, moving into management/coaching roles with the Hungarian national team, Panathinaikos (Greece), Sol de America (Paraquay), and South Melbourne FC (Australia) where he won an NSL championship, two NSL Cups, and two Dockerty Cups.
For further media information, or for interview and/or picture opportunities, contact:
Six O’Clock Advisory
Jim Stiliadis: 0414 534 703
Nathan Clarke: 0400 442 414
Football Federation Victoria
Anthony Grima: 0466 208 213