Budapest: Gyula Grosics, goalkeeper for the 1950s’ nearly unstoppable Hungarian football squad, dubbed the “Magical Magyars”, died Friday at the age of 88.
Grosics had suffered several heart attacks and lung problems, and was hospitalised earlier in the week for undisclosed reasons, reports Xinhua.
He played in 86 games for Hungary’s national side between 1947 and 1962, and was goalkeeper for Hungary’s Golden Team which didn’t lose a single game between 1948 and 1954.
He tended goal for the gold medallist Hungarians at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki and was in the team that won “The Match of the Century,” beating England 6-3 on their home turf in 1953. He played in three World Cup finals, in 1954, 1958, and 1962.
In all, Grosics participated in 390 first division games. Many consider him among the all-time great goalkeepers.
Grosics always wore black when playing, earning him the nickname of “Black Panther”. He is credited with being the first to play “sweeper-keeper,” in which the goalkeeper performs as a part of the defending side when necessary.