The Hungarian Legend Ferenc Puskás Historical moments, performance and memory in the Arab world

Resumo

Abstract: Little known in Hungary is the recognition and popularity that Hungarian sporting legend Ferenc Puskás enjoys in the Arab world today. The latter is not only due to his undoubtedly unrivalled footballing skills and his performances for the Hungarian national team and Real Madrid. His years as a coach in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, during which he repeatedly managed to achieve the maximum that the conditions of the time allowed him, have also played a decisive role. The aim of this study is to give a brief account of the life story of the football star and his relations with Egypt, as well as a summary of the events and experiences of his time in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with particular reference to the repercussion in the Arab media. Among the media sources we relied on to compile this paper, we can list the Egyptian weekly Sabah Al-Kheir, the independent daily Elwatan, Egypt's largest opposition daily Al-Wafd, the Kuwaiti daily Al-Jarida, and the state-backed UAE electronic newspaper Al-Ain, in addition to several entrusted portals and websites.

Keywords: Ferenc Puskás; Hungary; Football, Real Madrid.