In the fifties, there was a national football team that beat everyone, establishing a record for an unbroken series of wins still valid today, was the first non-British side to breat England at home (6:3 in Wembley), only lost the 1954 finals against West Germany, because of an out-of-form captain, but also because a goal of the latter was erroneously ruled off-side, pushed goals per match averages to levels not seen before or after, its captain shot more international goals than Pelé. (Also see this diary.)

This team was Hungary's "Golden Team", and its captain was Ferenc Puskás.

During the 1956 Revolution, he was in Bilbao, Spain on an away match with his club team, and with other Golden Team members, didn't return home. He came to Real Madrid, where he formed a phantastic duo with Alfredo di Stéfano. Older, he was coach of Panathinaikos Athen, which he led to the European Cup of Champions final in 1971 (there losaing to Cruyff's Ajax).

Both in Madrid and in Athens he was under dictatures, I never read of what he thought about that.

After 1989, he returned to Hungary. He was active in local football, but then became sick, after six years of hospital treatment, he died aged 79.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}