Ferenc Puskas Dies Aged 79 After a Long Battle Against Pneumonia

Hungary and Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskas has died aged 79 after long battle against pneumonia.

Puskas, nicknamed the 'Galloping Major' after serving in the Hungarian army, had been in intensive care at a Budapest hospital for two months but had also been confined to hospital for six years with Alzheimer's disease.

He led his country's 'Golden Team' of the early 1950s, and was part of the first foreign side to beat England at Wembley, winning 6-3 on 25 November 1953 in one of the game's most famous upsets.

Puskas later took Spanish citizenship and became part of Real Madrid's all-conquering side, which claimed five successive European Cups between 1956 and 1960.

Prolific both domestically and on the international scene, Puskas scored 83 times in 84 matches for Hungary between 1945 and 1956, including two goals in the Magical Magyars' famous match against England.

He also starred in a subsequent 7-1 win in Budapest which saw Hungary made favourites for the 1954 World Cup, but an injury limited his impact in Switzerland and the Magyars lost in the final to Germany.

Puskas scored 512 goals in 528 matches for Real Madrid and in 1962 he took out Spanish citizenship in time to play for his adopted country at the 1962 World Cup.

Playing alongside Alfredo di Stefano, he was the cornerstone of a succession of domestic and European glories, scoring four goals in Real's 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in a remarkable final at Hampden Park in 1960, and winning the European Cup three times in all.