For the once-mighty Magyars, merely competing at European football’s top table is a feat they no longer take for granted after pain of wilderness years

The truth that Hungary want extraordinary occasions to qualify for the knock-out spherical shouldn’t be precisely what their followers anticipated of occasions at Euro 2024.

Nonetheless, nobody in attendance at Stuttgart’s MHParena yesterday will ever take the achievement of competing at this degree once more without any consideration.

For 3 complete many years, a rustic credited with revolutionising the game with its prototype Whole Soccer within the Fifties discovered itself in worldwide exile, a perpetual spectator every time the nice summer season festivals rolled round.

Given his vital contribution to the event of this stunning sport, this disappointing state of affairs is deeply saddened.

As any scholar of the sport will let you know, the Magical Magyars, as they got here to be recognized, had been one of many One of many biggest groups of all time, having overwhelmed Walter Winterbottom's England twice of their heyday (6-3 and 7-1).

Led by Ferenc Puskas, the workforce that includes stars reminiscent of Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik, Nándor Hidegkuti and Sándor Kocsis remained unbeaten for almost 4 years.

Their defeat to West Germany in Bern in 1954 is considered the best upset in a World Cup closing.

Just a few years in the past, the BBC ranked the so-called Golden Staff as one of many biggest groups in worldwide soccer historical past. By consensus, they’re thought-about to be the most effective groups by no means to raise a trophy, together with the sensible Brazil aspect of 1982 and the Netherlands within the Nineteen Seventies.

Nonetheless, after the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Hungarian soccer fell right into a state of nuclear winter, which solely recovered when the nationwide workforce certified for Euro 2016.

How was this doable? The reply appears to be very refined.

Strolling on the streets of Budapest, the arrival of democracy is commonly cited as the primary cause for the sharp decline within the variety of folks over the age of fifty.

He argues that when the nation was underneath communist rule, soccer was collective. A lot of the nice groups of the 50s performed for Honved – the military workforce. This resulted in a shock within the late Nineteen Eighties.

It says lots about the usual of gamers Hungary often produced at its peak, nevertheless, {that a} equally disruptive occasion couldn’t stop the nationwide workforce’s commonplace from dropping too way back.

When Honvéd misplaced the primary leg of the 1956–57 European Cup match with Athletic Bilbao 3–2, there have been hopes that they might advance to Budapest.

However earlier than the match might start, an rebellion broke out within the capital. The gamers determined to not return to Hungary and organized to play the return match in Brussels.

Honvéd had been knocked out 6–5 on mixture and plenty of of their gamers had been left in limbo. Kocsis and Cibor moved to Barcelona, ​​whereas Puskas signed for Actual Madrid.

Angered by the suppression of all public opposition to the communist regime by Purple Military tanks, not one of the three ever performed for Hungary once more (though, after taking Spanish nationality, Puskas was allowed to symbolize his adopted nation within the 1962 World Cup).

Regardless of dropping their crown jewel, Hungary reached the World Cup three consecutive occasions – Sweden in 1958, Chile in 1962 and England in 1966.

A brand new technology, led by Ferenc Bene and Flórián Albert, took them to the semi-finals of the 1964 and 1972 European Championships.

Whether or not it’s on the membership degree or the worldwide degree, there was no drop in requirements. In reality, there was a a lot worse drop.

MTK Budapest completed runners-up to Sporting Lisbon within the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1964. A 12 months later Ferencvaros gained the match, beating AS Roma, Manchester United after which Juventus within the closing.

Years later, on the 1982 World Cup in Spain, El Salvador had been thrashed 10-1 by Hungary – a match report that also stands immediately.

Though qualification for the finals in Mexico was achieved 4 years later, it proved to be a harrowing expertise and thus far was the final time Hungary made it to the most important present on earth.

They misplaced their first match 6–0 to the Soviet Union, made amends considerably with a 2–0 win over Canada, however misplaced 3–0 to Michel Platini's France.

By now, the warning indicators of decline had been evident. The Nineteen Nineties noticed the speed of decline speed up. By 1996, Hungary had slipped to 87th within the FIFA rankings.

The next 12 months, there was a ray of hope – a play-off in opposition to Yugoslavia for a spot in subsequent 12 months's World Cup in France. The outcome was a heartbreaking defeat by an mixture rating of 12-1.

If this was the results of the rot within the sport following the rise of democracy simply eight years in the past, it’s shocking that different nations in an identical state of affairs – the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland – proceed to supply good worldwide groups.

There’s a feeling in Hungary that soccer is now not vital to these in energy.

Beforehand the game was funded immediately from the central funds and not directly by state-owned corporations, however the democratically elected authorities has now stopped supporting the game.

Golf equipment both disappeared in a single day or had been pushed to the brink of chapter. Ferencvaros had been demoted as a result of their monetary affairs. After the Bosman ruling, golf equipment had been denied exterior finance, academies had been reduce and panic promoting of belongings grew to become commonplace.

By 2010, when the game had develop into a supply of nationwide embarrassment, a change of presidency introduced a change of route. Prime Minister Viktor Orban pledged to do no matter was mandatory to revive Hungary's fame as a reputable soccer nation.

Since then, greater than £2 billion has been invested, based on the Hungarian Soccer Affiliation. Professional-government oligarchs have additionally invested their wealth in quite a few tasks.

Steadily, dilapidated stadiums had been changed by gleaming buildings and new grounds had been constructed throughout the nation. The game was successfully rebuilt from the underside up.

But, it was not till November 2015, the evening Norway had been overwhelmed within the Euro 2016 play-offs, that the nation needed to wait to take a look at itself within the mirror.

It was like re-entry to the large stage. Hungary not solely certified however topped a bunch containing Austria, Iceland and eventual winners Portugal, however misplaced to Belgium within the final 16.

The humiliating defeat to Andorra within the 2018 World Cup qualifying marketing campaign is paying homage to many darkish days, however this proved to be a weird one.

Hungary booked their place at Euro 2020 due to a play-off win over Iceland and secured computerized qualification by ending high of their part with out dropping a single match this summer season.

A brand new technology, led by Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, has gone on to play for a few of Europe's largest golf equipment.

What's extra, the massive switch charges they’ve come for have helped develop the home sport even additional. It speaks volumes that 9 of supervisor Marco Rossi's 26-man squad for Germany play for golf equipment of their house nations.

The Magyars haven’t but been as magical as that they had hoped on this match, however a minimum of they don’t seem to be the place they need to be.