📍Kispest, Budapest, Hungary
1927 – 1956“I was born Ferenc Purczeld in Budapest in April 1927, and as a baby I moved with my parents to Kispest, a working-class district on the south-eastern edge of the city, where my father had a job and a contract to play for the local football club, Kispest AC. We lived in a modest flat right next to the club's ground, and that pitch was my childhood. In 1937 my father changed our German-sounding surname to the Hungarian Puskás. My father, after his playing days, became the coach at Kispest, and he worked at the local abattoir too. In our building lived the Bozsik family, and their son József, whom we called Cucu, became my best friend; I was Öcsi, little brother. With no money for toys, we played football from morning to night on the ground near our house with balls made of rags, and we took on teams from neighbouring streets. I was short and stocky, with a left foot that could do anything. My father registered me for the youth team under a false name, Miklós Kovács, because I was too young. At sixteen, in 1943, I made my debut for Kispest, and Bozsik soon joined me. The club became Budapest Honvéd, and with Hungary's Golden Team we beat England 6-3 at Wembley in 1953. After the 1956 revolution I left Hungary and later won three European Cups with Real Madrid. Kispest's stadium is named after my friend Bozsik, and Hungary's national stadium after me.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
📍 Street view today