Zoltán Varga (footballer, born 1945)

For other people named Zoltán Varga (disambiguation), see Zoltán Varga (disambiguation) (disambiguation).

Zoltán Varga

Zoltán Varga in 1973
Personal information
Date of birth	(1945-01-01)1 January 1945
Place of birth	Vál, Hungary
Date of death	9 April 2010(2010-04-09) (aged 65)
Place of death	Budapest, Hungary
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1959–1961	Ferencvárosi
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1961–1968	Ferencvárosi	135	(53)
1968–1969	Standard Liège	0	(0)
1969–1972	Hertha Berlin	34	(9)
1972–1973	Aberdeen	26	(10)
1973–1974	Ajax	12	(2)
1974–1976	Borussia Dortmund	51	(10)
1976–1977	Augsburg	8	(1)
1977–1978	Gent	0	(0)
Total		266	(85)
International career
1964–1968	Hungary	12	(2)
Managerial career
1981	Preußen Münster
1996–1997	Ferencvárosi
1997	Budapest Honvéd
2000	Diósgyőri
2001	Győri ETO
2003	Győri ETO
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Olympic medal record
Men's football
	1964 Tokyo	Team

Zoltán Varga (1 January 1945 – 9 April 2010) was a Hungarian football player who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He was an Olympic gold medalist at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He played for Ferencváros when they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1965, beating Juventus 1-0 in the final. He also played for Ajax Amsterdam.

He played in Germany for Borussia Dortmund and Hertha BSC, but was banned after he was caught taking bribes to lose matches.

During the period of his ban he played for Aberdeen F.C. in Scotland.

Club career

Career in Hungary

The Ferencváros his professional career. In the professional team played between 1961–1968, a period which is the club's history after World War II was one of the most successful. Varga has 135 career appearances, 53 goals shot. The club became champion in 1962 and '63, 1964, 1967 and 1968 NB I-season as well.

In these years, Frade, as one of Europe's best club teams, qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup series called the International Festival of the major European Football Confederation tournament as well. Today's successor to the European leagues.

In 1962-63 seasons in the semi-finals in a row Varga, and two years later, 1964-65-they won it. Success is not interrupted in 1967, 68 in the runner. Since the Mexican Olympic Games, Varga left the country, so successfully ended the era of Ferencváros. Hungarian club did not play any more players.

Career in Europe

Between 1969 and 1972, the German Hertha BSC scored nine in 34 games, 26 games for Aberdeen in Scotland (where he is still considered by many to be the finest foreign import ever to play for the club) scored ten of the Netherlands Ajax 12 games scored two goals, the German side Borussia Dortmund 51 games scored 10. Last was a team player in the Belgian Gent.

International career

Between 1964 and 1968 he had been included in the Hungarian national team 12 times and scored 2 goals. In 1964, Spain's European Championship team bronze medal for the author made his debut as a member of the team. In 1966 he participated in the World Cup in England, but could not play due to an earlier injury.

He received a gold medal as member of Hungary's Olympic Team in the Tokyo Olympic Games, in 1964. During the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City he had left the Hungarian Team Camp before the matches and did not return to Hungary.

Death

On Friday evening of 9 April 2010, in the playing field of Danuvia, Zoltán Varga played in an old-boys football match as long as his health condition was getting rapidly worse. Therefore he was laid down to gain relief, interrupting the match. Soon after, he had fallen down in a faint and his player mates tried to resuscitate but neither they nor arriving ambulance were able to help him any more. He died at the age of 65.

External links

• Zoltán Varga – FIFA competition record
• Zoltán Varga at Sports-Reference.com
• Zoltán Varga at National-Football-Teams.com
• Zoltán Varga at fussballdaten.de (in German)