Miklós Fehér
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Miklós Fehér | ||
| Date of birth | 20 July 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Tatabánya, Hungary | ||
| Date of death | 25 January 2004 (aged 24) | ||
| Place of death | Guimarães, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Győri ETO | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995–1998 | Győri ETO | 62 | (23) |
| 1998–2002 | Porto | 10 | (1) |
| 2000–2002 | Porto B | 7 | (2) |
| 2000 | → Salgueiros (loan) | 14 | (5) |
| 2000–2001 | → Braga (loan) | 26 | (14) |
| 2002–2004 | Benfica | 29 | (7) |
| Total | 145 | (51) | |
| National team | |||
| 1996–1997 | Hungary U18 | 8 | (3) |
| 1996–2000 | Hungary U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 1998–2004 | Hungary | 25 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Miklós "Miki" Fehér (20 July 1979 — 25 January 2004) was a Hungarian footballer who played as a striker.
On 25 January 2004, Fehér died of a cardiac arrest during a match between Vitória de Guimarães and his team Benfica in Guimarães, Portugal.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Club career
Born in Tatabánya, Fehér started his playing career at Győri ETO FC, where he was spotted by F.C. Porto scouts. He was signed in 1998 but never really made a breakthrough onto the team. Relatively young, he was loaned to gain experience, to another two northern sides, S.C. Salgueiros and Sporting de Braga.
At Braga, Fehér had his best professional season, netting 14 goals in 26 matches in 2000–01. After Porto chairman Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa quarreled with his agent José Veiga, the player refused to part with his agent and left, joining Lisbon side S.L. Benfica, going on to score seven goals in 29 matches during two seasons.
[edit] Death
On 25 January 2004, Benfica travelled to Guimarães to play against Vitória de Guimarães. The game was being broadcast live on television, and Benfica were leading 1–0. Fehér had just come on as a substitute, and assisted another player brought from the bench, Fernando Aguiar, for the match's only goal, but received a yellow card in injury time and suddenly bent forward, seemingly in pain. He then fell backwards to the ground.
Members of both teams rushed immediately to aid Fehér before medical personnel arrived on the pitch. CPR was performed as match participants looked on in visible distress. An ambulance arrived on the pitch and Fehér was rushed to the hospital. His condition was covered by the Portuguese media throughout the day. However, before midnight, his death was confirmed, the cause of death being cardiac arrhythmia, brought on by Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.[2] In his memory, Benfica retired the number 29 shirt, which he wore during his time at the club. He was remembered by many and his death caused a profound shock in Portuguese sports. Among others, Porto director of football Reinaldo Teles and manager José Mourinho paid their respects at the Estádio da Luz, where the player's body remained before his burial in his native Hungary.
A club delegation, which included the entire squad, travelled to Hungary, presenting Fehér's parents with the 2004–05 league championship medal, in respect for the player and his time with the club.[3]
On 9 October 2009, the day before their World Cup qualifier against Portugal in Lisbon, the Hungarian national team squad laid a wreath next to a metal bust of Feher at Benfica's homeground Estádio da Luz, in tribute to his memory.[4]
[edit] International career
Fehér made his first international appearance for Hungary in October 1998 against Azerbaijan, and went on to score seven goals in 25 international matches.
On 11 October 2000, he netted a hat-trick in a 6–1 away thrashing of Lithuania, in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
[edit] International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 October 1998 | Baku | 4–0 | Win | Euro 2000 qualifying | |
| 2 | 11 October 2000 | Kaunas | 6–1 | Win | 2002 World Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 11 October 2000 | Kaunas | 6–1 | Win | 2002 World Cup qualification | |
| 4 | 11 October 2000 | Kaunas | 6–1 | Win | 2002 World Cup qualification | |
| 5 | 15 November 2000 | Skopje | 1–0 | Win | Friendly | |
| 6 | 17 April 2002 | Debrecen | 2–5 | Loss | Friendly | |
| 7 | 20 August 2003 | Murska Sobota | 1–2 | Loss | Friendly |
[edit] Club statistics
| Club performance | League | Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Hungary | League | Hungarian Cup | Total | |||||
| 1995–96 | Győri ETO | Hungarian League | 8 | 2 | ||||
| 1996–97 | 29 | 8 | ||||||
| 1997–98 | 25 | 13 | ||||||
| Portugal | League | Taça de Portugal | Total | |||||
| 1998–99 | Porto | Portuguese League | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 1999–00 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 1999–00 | Salgueiros | Portuguese League | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 5 |
| 2000–01 | Braga | Portuguese League | 26 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 14 |
| 2001–02 | Porto B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2002–03 | Benfica | Portuguese League | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 2003–04 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | ||
| Total | Hungary | 62 | 23 | |||||
| Portugal | 82 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 87 | 26 | ||
| Career total | 144 | 51 | 5 | 0 | 236 | 77 | ||
[edit] Honours
[edit] Team
- Benfica:
- Portuguese Cup: 2003–04
[edit] Individual
- Young Hungarian Player of the Year: 1997
- Ferenc Puskás Award: 2001
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Benfica's Miklós Fehér dies after heart attack on pitch; The Guardian, 26 January 2004
- ^ Fehér death stuns football; UEFA.com, 26 January 2004
- ^ Benfica trip a tribute to Fehér; UEFA.com, 31 May 2005
- ^ Hungary squad honours late striker Feher; Reuters, 9 October 2009
[edit] External links
- Stats and profile at Zerozero
- Stats at ForaDeJogo (Portuguese)
- Miklós Fehér at National-Football-Teams.com
- 1979 births
- 2004 deaths
- Hungarian footballers
- Association football forwards
- Primeira Liga players
- F.C. Porto players
- S.C. Salgueiros players
- S.C. Braga players
- S.L. Benfica footballers
- Hungary international footballers
- Hungarian expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in Portugal
- Hungarian expatriates in Portugal
- Association football players who died while playing
- Filmed deaths in sports
- Sport deaths in Portugal