FIFA President Gianni Infantino has congratulated the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) “for the work that has gone into honouring the life of the great Ferenc Puskás” as a “special museum” dedicated to the legendary footballer opened in Budapest, Hungary, on the anniversary of one of his most renowned matches. An undisputed all-time great of the game, Puskás was the star of Hungary’s Aranycsapat, the Golden Team, and he and his teammates are revered in the central European nation to this day. Opened in 2019, Hungary’s national stadium followed its predecessor in being named in Puskás’ honour, and a building on the site of the venue now houses the museum that details his life from growing up in Budapest to becoming one of the best footballers ever to have played the game.

Puskás won five Hungarian league titles with Budapest Honvéd FC before joining Real Madrid CF in 1958, winning five La Liga titles and three UEFA European Champion Clubs’ Cups – the forerunner of the UEFA Champions League – in the Spanish side’s iconic white shirt. Puskás also scored an incredible 84 goals in just 85 international appearances for his country and won Olympic gold at the 1952 Games in Finland. In 2009, FIFA created the FIFA Puskás Award, which – up until this year – has been given to the scorer of the best goal in any league anywhere in the world. As of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024™, the FIFA Puskás Award will go to the scorer of the best goal in men’s football worldwide.

“Congratulations for the work that has gone into honouring the life of the great Ferenc Puskás, through this special museum,” said Mr Infantino of Hungary’s ‘Galloping Major’, who died in 2006. "In this 70th anniversary year of the great Hungary team, reaching the final of the 1954 FIFA World Cup, it is more appropriate than ever to enrich the ways that we cherish the contribution of Ferenc Puskás to the world game. “We do this annually at FIFA with the best goal of each year receiving the Puskás Award, and on 1 April 2027, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth, which is such a significant date in football’s global history. Puskás left a legacy to those who saw him play and score with the colours of Honvéd or Real Madrid. And even more so at national team level, for Hungary, where he played for one of the most special and legendary teams that has ever featured in the history of our sport.” The great Hungary team Puskás was part of never won the FIFA World Cup™, notably suffering defeat to West Germany in the 1954 final in Berne, Switzerland. However, they were the dominant football force of the 1950s and produced a number of memorable performances, none more so than on 25 November 1953, at Wembley Stadium where they became the first continental European team to win on English soil.

“In fact, exactly 71 years ago today, Hungary defeated England 6-3 at Wembley, with a performance that influenced football across the planet,” said Mr Infantino in a video message to an audience that included Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, as well as FIFA Vice-President and MLSZ President Sándor Csányi, at the museum’s opening ceremony. "A beautiful exhibition at the museum treasures the exploits of this team and the historical position that they will forever maintain in the heart of Hungarian football. “I was delighted to visit the Puskás Arena in 2021 and see a world-class performer’s name being honoured in a world-class venue. Now, with the only building that remains from the old Népstadion, you have a world-class museum to celebrate your rich football heritage, and I congratulate you all, and look forward to visiting it very, very soon.”