Flórián ALBERT (Patreon)

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Flórián Albert (15 September 1941 – 31 October 2011) was a Hungarian professional football player, manager and sports official, who was named European Footballer of the Year in 1967. Nicknamed "The Emperor", he played as a forward, and has been described as one of the most elegant footballers of all time.

A club legend of Ferencvárosi TC, Albert joined the team as a schoolboy and spent his whole playing career at Fradi. He also starred for Hungary, winning 75 international caps and scoring 31 goals. He was joint top-scorer at the 1962 World Cup with four goals and played a key role in Hungary's third-place finish at the European Championship in 1964.

He stayed loyal to Ferencváros after his retirement as well, actively participated in the club's life and also held administrative positions. Since 2007 the stadium of Ferencváros bears his name.

Albert died in October 2011, aged 70, in a hospital in Budapest after complications following heart surgery carried out a few days earlier.

Honours

Club

• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1965

• Hungarian League 1963, 1964, 1967 and 1968

• Hungarian Cup 1972

Individual

• Best Young Player Award: FIFA World Cup 1962

• Top Scorer (Golden Boot): FIFA World Cup 1962 (shared with five other players at 4 goals)

• All-Star Team: FIFA World Cup 1966

• Team of the Tournament: UEFA European Championship 1964

• Top Scorer: European Cup 1966

• Top Scorer: Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1967

• Top Scorer: Hungarian Championship 1960, 1961, 1965

• Hungarian Footballer of the Year 1966, 1967

• Ballon d'Or (European Footballer of the Year) 1967

• Officier's Cross of Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary 1994

• Middle Cross of the Order Merit of the Republic of Hungary 2011

• Sportsperson of the Nation (A Nemzet Sportolója) 2004

• The stadium of Ferencvarosi TC was renamed to Albert-stadium in his honor in 2007

• Honorable Citizen of Hercegszántó 2007

• Honorable Citizen of Budapest 2010

• Honorable Citizen of Ferencváros 2011