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Ferenc Bene

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The native form of this personal name is Bene Ferenc. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Ferenc Bene
Bene in 1969
Personal information
Date of birth (1944-12-17)17 December 1944
Place of birth Balatonújlak, Hungary
Date of death 27 February 2006(2006-02-27) (aged 61)
Place of death Budapest, Hungary
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1958–1960 MEDOSZ Marcali
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1959 MEDOSZ Marcali 7 (5)
1960–1961 Kaposvár Kinizsi 16 (16)
1961–1978 Újpesti Dózsa 417 (303)
1978–1979 Volán SC
1981–82 Sepsi-78 55 (17)
1982–83 Volán SC
1983–84 Soroksári VOSE 12 (5)
1984–85 Kecskeméti SC 15 (1)
International career
1962–1979 Hungary 76 (36)
1963–1964 Hungary Olympic team 13 (24)
1972–1973 Europe XI 2 (1)
Managerial career
1992–1993 Újpesti TE
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Hungary
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1964 Tokyo Team
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Spain
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ferenc Bene (17 December 1944 – 27 February 2006) was a Hungarian footballer who played as a striker for Újpesti Dózsa and Hungary.

He was a member of the team that won the gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics, in which he was the top scorer of the tournament with 12 goals in just 5 matches.[1] He is the sixth most prolific goalscorer in total matches in recorded history according to RSSSF with over 1425 goals scored in over 1480 matches, which results in a goal-per-match ratio of almost one.[2][3] Bene was a successful striker for Újpesti Dózsa (303 goals in 418 matches) and the Hungary national team (36 goals in 76 matches).[1][4] He was named Hungarian player of the year twice, in 1964 and in 1969.[1]

Club career

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Early career

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Ferenc Bene was born on 17 December 1944 in Balatonújlak. He began to play football in 1958 in the youth ranks of MEDOSZ Marcali. Bene made his senior league debut for Dózsa in a fixture against Somogyszob in June 1959 at the tender age of only 14,5 years, scoring once.[5] Just two months later, in August 1959, at the age of 14 years and 8 months, he scored a hat-trick in a league game against Siofok.[5]

In September 1959, Bene scored the only goal for Somogy regional team in a youth tournament match against Baranya. After protests from opponents, the result was annulled on the basis that the then 14-year-old Bene was too young to play for a U-16 selection U16.[5] He was later allowed to play for the county's junior team, but banned from playing for the senior club until his 16th birthday. For this reason, he played only for youth teams for the next 12 months, from September 1959 to September 1960.[5]

Bene was then recruited by Kaposvár Kinizsi, a team from the third division, where he scored 16 goals in 16 matches, including 4 against Mazai Banyasz (4–0) and 6 against Szekszardi Petöfi (7–1).[5]

Újpesti Dózsa

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In 1961 the 17-year-old Bene was discovered by former Hungarian international István Avar, who recommended him to Újpest Dózsa.[6] He then played with Újpest Dózsa for the next 17 years, from 1861 until 1978.[5] In total, he scored 303 goals in 418 matches, thus being one of the main architects behind the team's dominance in the 1970s, as Dózsa won 8 Nemzeti Bajnokság I between 1969 and 1977-78, and also three Magyar Kupa in 1969, 1970, and 1974-75.[1]

Bene was also crucial in helping Dózsa reach the semi-finals of the 1973–74 European Cup, which they lost to Gerd Müller's Bayern Munich.[6] In the following year, in the round of 16 of the 1974–75 European Cup against Benfica, he scored a sensational goal: He kicked the ball out of the goalkeeper's hand and then held the ball in front of him for a long time before flicking to an open net with brilliant situational awareness. This was chosen as the most beautiful goal of the Cup round in Western Europe at the time.[6]

For his efforts at Dózsa, Bene was named Hungarian Footballer of the Year in 1964 and 1969.[1]

Later years

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Leaving the club after the 1978 season, he continued to play for smaller Hungarian teams such as Volán SC (1978–79 and 1983–84) and he even enjoyed a brief spell in Finland playing for Sepsi-78 in 1981–82.[1] He then played for Soroksári VOSE in 1983–84, at the age of 40, scoring 5 goals in 12 matches, and finally ended his career with Kecskeméti SC at the end of the 1984–85 season, having scored only 1 goal in 15 matches.[5][6]

International career

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Bene made his debut for the Hungary national team against Yugoslavia on 14 October 1962, at the age of 17 years 9 months 27 days.[4] He scored his first international goal two caps later, on 19 October 1963, which was the opening goal of a 2–1 victory over East Germany in the round of 16 of the 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying.[4] He also scored in the quarter-finals against France, and in the tournament, Bene scored in the semi-finals against Spain, which was not enough to prevent a 1–2 defeat.[4] However, Bene scored one more goal at the tournament in the third place play-off against Denmark, thus finishing as the tournament's joint-top scorer alongside fellow teammate Dezső Novák and Chus Pereda of Spain.[4]

In 1963 and 1964, Bene played with both the Hungarian main team and the Hungarian Olympic team simultaneously, overlapping between the two sides and scoring at a prolific rate for both of them. In fact, he scored a brace in each of his first three appearances with the Olympic side, two in friendlies and the other in a 4–0 win over Sweden in the first leg of the 1964 Olympic semifinal round of qualifying,[7][8] thus helping his side reach the final round of qualifying against Spain in which he scored a brace in both legs[9][10] as Hungary qualified for the 1964 Olympics.[8] In the Olympic tournament, Bene played a crucial role in helping Hungary winning the gold medal, scoring twelve goals in five matches, including all six in the 6–0 thrashing of Morocco in the group stage, a four goal haul against United Arab Republic in the semifinals, and the winner against Czechoslovakia in the final.[1][4] He is one of only four players who have scored two hat-tricks in Olympic football matches, the others being Vilhelm Wolfhagen, Antonín Janda, and Domingo Tarasconi.

He was a versatile attacking player, who played as a center forward in Dózsa. In the national team, however, he held the position of right winger because of Albert Flórián. He was a player with a strong, muscular build, fast starting speed, and a great goal-scoring instinct.[6]

In the 1966 World Cup, Bene scored one goal in each of Hungary's three group stage matches against Portugal, Brazil, and Bulgaria, and then also scored in the quarterfinals, which Hungary lost 1–2 to the Soviet Union. With four goals, Bene was Hungary's top scorer in the World Cup.[1][4]

On 1 May 1972, he was invited to play a match for a Europe XI against Hamburger SV, organized as a farewell game for Uwe Seeler, and Bene scored once in a 7–3 win.[11]

Bene played his last international match against Czechoslovakia on 12 September 1979. In total, he obtained 76 caps and scored 36 goals.[4]

Death

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He died on 27 February 2006 in Budapest, after a lengthy treatment following a fall at the end of 2005. His son Ferenc Bene jr. is also a former player, currently working as a manager.[6]

The football academy of Kaposvári Rákóczi FC bears his name.[6] He also received Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary [hu] in 1994.[citation needed]

Career statistics

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Club

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Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hungary League Hungarian Cup League Cup Europe Total
1961–62 Újpesti Dózsa National Championship I 22 6
1962–63 26 23
1963 13 6
1964 26 20
1965 25 20
1966 26 24
1967 30 22
1968 26 22
1969 29 27
1970 14 10
1970–71 30 24
1971–72 30 29
1972–73 30 23
1973–74 29 14
1974–75 28 20
1975–76 18 7
1976–77 12 4
1977–78 3 2
Total Hungary 417 303
Career total 417 303

International goals

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Goals for Hungary Olympic team

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Hungary score listed first, score column indicates score after each Bene goal.
List of international goals scored by Ferenc Bene
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Source
1 4 May 1963 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Sweden 2–0 4–0 First leg of the 1964 Olympic semifinal round of qualifying [7]
2 3–0
3 4 December 1963 Dakar, Senegal  Senegal ? 8–3 Olympic Friendly [12]
4 ?
5 6 December 1963 Ivory Coast  Ivory Coast ? 4–1 [13]
6 ?
7 28 December 1963 Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria  Algeria 2–0 3–0 [14]
8 3–0
9 29 April 1964 Palma  Spain 1–1 2–1 First leg of the 1964 Olympic final round of qualifying [9]
10 2–1
11 6 May 1964 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary 1–0 3–0 Second leg of the 1964 Olympic final round of qualifying [10]
12 2–0
13 11 October 1964 National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan  Morocco 1–0 6–0 1964 Olympic group stages [15]
14 2–0
15 3–0
16 4–0
17 5–0
18 6–0
19 15 October 1964 Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium, Tokyo, Japan  Yugoslavia 4–2 6–5 [16]
20 20 October 1964 Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Tokyo, Japan  United Arab Republic 1–0 6–0 1964 Olympic semifinals [17]
21 2–0
22 5–0
23 6–0
24 23 October 1964 National Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan  Czechoslovakia 2–0 2–1 1964 Olympic final [18]

Goals for Hungary main team

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Hungary score listed first, score column indicates score after each Bene goal.
List of international goals scored by Ferenc Bene[4][19]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 19 October 1963 Stadion der Weltjugend, Berlin, Germany  East Germany 1–0 2–1 1964 Euros qualifying round of 16
2 3 November 1963 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary 1–0 3–3
3 23 May 1964  France 2–1 2–1 1964 Euros qualifying quarter-finals
4 17 June 1964 Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain  Spain 1–1 1–2 1964 Euros semi-finals
5 20 June 1964 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain  Denmark 1–0 3–1 1964 Euros third place play-off
6 23 May 1965 Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany  East Germany 1–1 1–1 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 27 June 1965 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Italy 2–1 2–1 Friendly
8 3 May 1966 Stadion Śląski, Chorzów, Poland  Poland 1–0 1–1
9 5 June 1966 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary   Switzerland 2–0 3–1
10 3–0
11 13 July 1966 Old Trafford, Manchester, England  Portugal 1–1 1–3 1966 World Cup group stages
12 15 July 1966 Goodison Park, Liverpool, England  Brazil 1–0 3–1
13 20 July 1966 Old Trafford, Manchester, England  Bulgaria 3–1 3–1
14 23 July 1966 Roker Park, Sunderland, England  Soviet Union 1–2 1–2 1966 World Cup quarter-finals
15 21 September 1966 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Denmark 3–0 6–0 UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying
16 23 April 1967  Yugoslavia 1–0 1–0 Friendly
17 24 May 1967 Københavns Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark  Denmark 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying
18 6 September 1967 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria  Australia 1–0 3–1 Friendly
19 8 June 1969 Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland  Ireland 2–1 2–1 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification
20 15 June 1969 Københavns Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark  Denmark 1–1 2–3
21 14 September 1969 Stadion Letná, Prague, Czech Republic  Czech Republic 1–0 3–3
22 22 October 1969 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Denmark 1–0 3–0
23 3–0
24 5 November 1969  Ireland 2–0 4–0
25 12 April 1970 Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia  Yugoslavia 2–2 2–2 Friendly
26 7 October 1970 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Norway 1–0 3–1 UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying
27 4 April 1971 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria  Australia 1–0 2–0 Friendly
28 2–0
29 9 October 1971 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes, France  France 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying
30 27 October 1971 Népstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Norway 1–0 4–0
31 3–0
32 14 November 1971 Empire Stadium, Gżira, Malta  Malta 1–0 2–0 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification
33 2–0
34 6 May 1972 Szusza Ferenc Stadion, Budapest, Hungary  Malta 2–0 3–0
35 26 September 1973 Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia  Yugoslavia 1–1 1–1 Friendly
36 31 March 1974 ZTE stadium, Zalaegerszeg, Hungary  Bulgaria 3–0 4–0

Honours

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Újpest
Hungary
Individual
  • Hungarian Footballer of the Year: 1964 and 1969
  • FUWO European Team of the Season: 1966[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ferenc Bene". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Best Goalscorers All-Time (All Matches)". RSSSF. 7 July 2023. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  3. ^ Salmon, Ken (31 October 2021). "Who scored the most goals in history?". 90soccer.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ferenc Bene, international footballer". eu-football.info. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Prolific Scorers Data - Ferenc Bene - Additional Data". RSSSF. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "December 17-én lett volna 73 éves Bene Ferenc!" [Ferenc Bene would have turned 73 on December 17!]. RSSSF (in Hungarian). 17 December 2017. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Hungary v Sweden, 04 May 1963". www.11v11.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Games of the XVIII. Olympiad - Football Qualifying Tournament". RSSSF. 27 July 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Spain v Hungary, 29 April 1964". www.11v11.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Hungary v Spain, 06 May 1964". www.11v11.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  11. ^ "England Player Honours - International Representative Teams". www.englandfootballonline.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Senegal v Hungary, 04 December 1963". www.11v11.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Ivory Coast v Hungary, 06 December 1963". www.11v11.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Algeria v Hungary, 28 December 1963". www.11v11.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Hungary vs Morocco, 11 October 1964". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Hungary vs Yugoslavia, 15 October 1964". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Hungary vs United Arab Republic, 20 October 1964". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Hungary vs Czechoslovakia, 23 October 1964". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Hungary - F. Bene". Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ^ "1964 team of the tournament". Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Eric Batty's World XI – The Sixties". Beyond The Last Man. 29 April 2013. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  22. ^ "FUWO 1967" (PDF). FCC-Wiki. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Eastern European Footballer of the season". WebArchive. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
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