Flórián Albert

Nicknamed The Emperor, forward Flórián Albert has been described by experts as one of the most elegant footballers of all time. Joining Ferencvárosi TC as a schoolboy, he spent his whole club career from 1952-74 with them, winning Hungarian Championships in 1963, 1964, 1967 and 1968, the Hungarian Cup in 1972, and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (predecessor to UEFA Cup) in 1965. Albert was the top goal scorer at the Hungarian Championships in 1960, 1961 and 1965, the European Champion Clubs’ Cup (now UEFA Champions League) in 1966, and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1967. He was chosen as the Hungarian Footballer of the Year in 1966 and 1967 and European Footballer of the Year in 1967. He was capped with the Hungarian national team 75 times from 1959-74 and scored 31 international goals. Albert was a member of Hungarian 1960 Olympic team that won a bronze medal, the Hungarian 1962 World Cup team that was knocked out in the quarter-finals, and the Hungarian 1964 European Championships team that won a bronze medal.

In 1966, Albert played his second World Cup tournament, held in England. After losing to Portugal in their first round encounter, Hungary entered the match against Brazil as a must-win. Hungary eventually beat the South Americans 3–1, to keep alive their hopes, and Albert, who received a standing ovation from the supporters, made the fans forget the absence of Pelé with his performance. Albert was selected to the 1966 World Cup All-Star team.

After finishing his sporting career, Albert had two short spells as a manager in Libya with Al-Ahly Benghazi from 1978-82 and 1985. After returning from North Africa, he worked for Ferencváros in several positions, such as technical director, department leader, and later honorary chairman. In 2007, the Ferencváros’ stadium was named after him. His son, Flórián Albert, Jr. also became a professional footballer, who was on the Hungarian national team from 1993-96.