Gustav Shebesh Hungarian football player and coach. Date of Birth: 22.01.1909 Country: Hungary

1. Gustav Sebes: Hungarian Football Player and Coach
2. Early Life and Playing Career
3. Coaching Career and National Team Success
4. Olympic and Central European Success
5. World Cup Disappointment and Aftermath

Gustav Sebes: Hungarian Football Player and Coach

Gustav Sebes was a Hungarian football player and coach, known for his contributions to the sport both on and off the field. He was also a deputy minister of sport in Hungary and the author of the concept of "socialist football", an early version of "total football".

Early Life and Playing Career

Gustav Sebes was born into a cobbler's family and began his football career playing for the clubs "Müsaki Dolgozok" and "Vashashe", which belonged to the factory where he worked. He then moved to France to work as a mechanic at the Renault factory in Billancourt, during which time he played for the factory team, "Olympique". Upon returning to Hungary, Sebes played for the club MOM, and later for MTK Hungary, which was later renamed to simply "Hungary". His club teammates included Enyo Kalmar and Pal Titkos, who would later become Sebes' assistants in the Hungarian national team.

Coaching Career and National Team Success

After playing for clubs such as "Sentlerintsi", "Weiss Manfred", and "Budafoki", Sebes agreed to join the committee overseeing the Hungarian national team, alongside Bela Mandik and Gabor Kompoti-Kleber. However, just a year later, Sebes was appointed as the deputy minister of sport in Hungary and was tasked with solely leading the national team.

Sebes immediately set about building a national team modeled after the Wunderteam and the 1930s Italian national team, which predominantly consisted of players from one or two clubs. This was made easier by the fact that Hungary had become a communist state in January 1949, and the club leader Ferencvaros was deemed unsuitable for this ideology due to its nationalist past policies. The best players from various clubs, including Ferencvaros, were sent to Kispest (later renamed to Honved), which was under the control of the Hungarian Ministry of Defense. Thus, Sebes' idea of forming a national team based on two clubs (with MTK being the second) came to fruition.

Around the same time, the head coach of MTK started using the 3-2-5 formation, along with a new position on the field called the "withdrawn center forward". Sebes immediately implemented these ideas in the Hungarian national team.

Olympic and Central European Success

In 1952, the Hungarian national team traveled to the Olympic Games, where they won all five preliminary matches with a massive goal difference of 20-2. In the semifinals, they defeated the defending Olympic champions, Sweden, with a score of 6-0, and went on to win the final against Yugoslavia with a score of 2-0. The team also won the Central European Cup, earning 11 points with five wins, two losses, and one draw.

World Cup Disappointment and Aftermath

In 1954, Hungary went to the World Cup as the top favorite. They won both of their group stage matches with a goal difference of 17-3. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Brazil 4-2, and in the semifinals, they beat the reigning champions, Uruguay, in extra time with a score of 4-2. However, in the final, Hungary unexpectedly lost to West Germany with a score of 2-3, despite previously defeating the same team 8-3 in the group stage. This match later became known as the "Miracle of Bern".

After the World Cup, Hungary embarked on a new winning streak of 18 matches, which ended on February 19, 1956. On June 3 of the same year, Sebes was dismissed from his position after a 4-5 defeat against Belgium. Following his departure from the national team, Sebes worked as an administrator and coach for clubs such as Ujpest Dozsa, Honved, and Diosgyor.