Flórián Albert
Flórián György Albert (15 September 1941 – 31 October 2011) was a Hungarian professional football player, manager and sports official, who was named European Footballer of the Year in 1967. Nicknamed "The Emperor", he played as a forward, and has been described as one of the most elegant footballers of all time.
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Albert in 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Flórián György Albert | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 September 1941 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hercegszántó, Hungary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 31 October 2011 (aged 70) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Budapest, Hungary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1952–1958 | Ferencváros | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1958–1974 | Ferencváros | 351 | (256) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1974 | Hungary | 75 | (31) | |||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–82 | Al Ahly Benghazi | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1985 | Al Ahly Benghazi | |||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
A club legend of Ferencvárosi TC, Albert joined the team as a schoolboy and spent his whole playing career at Fradi. He also starred for Hungary, winning 75 international caps and scoring 31 goals. He was joint top-scorer at the 1962 World Cup with four goals and played a key role in Hungary's third-place finish at the European Championship in 1964.
He stayed loyal to Ferencváros after his retirement as well, actively participated in the club's life and also held administrative positions. From 2007 the stadium of Ferencváros bore his name, until 2014 when the new stadium of the team was constructed, named “Groupama Arena”.
Albert died in October 2011, aged 70, in a hospital in Budapest after complications following heart surgery carried out a few days earlier.