Ladislao Kubala

[M.L. King]

Full name: Ladislao Kubala Stecz
Date of birth: June 10, 1927(1927-06-10)
Place of birth: Budapest, Hungary
Date of death: May 17, 2002 (aged 74)
Place of death: Barcelona, Spain
Height:1.76 m (5 ft 9+1?2 in)
Playing position: Midfielder / Forward

I've been to the Camp Nou quite a few times and had a great privilege to share my thoughts with people who have been coming to our sanctuary since its inception. Those who had the chance to see the likes of Kubala, Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Koeman, Kocsis, Cruijff, Guardiola and so many unmentioned, told me many things. I asked once a man of about 70 years of age what people of Barcelona think about who their favorite player is. I expected a long deliberated answer, au contraire, he shot the answer out as an arrow from the bow. Ladislao Kubala. And when he saw my perplexed reaction he quickly continued: "I have had the chance to see many players and Ronaldinho is the best for you young generation (it was in the time of Ronnies prominence) but let me tell you that Ronaldinho is one of the greatest I have ever seen but no one can measure up to Kubala." I then asked him why? And he gave an obnoxious look toward my own ignorance. He afterward explained to me that Kubala personified the value of a great player off and on the pitch. A figure dedicated to the club and the city with his whole heart. After contracting tuberculosis he went off field for a long time. However, he miraculously returned and shook the world of football. He helped to score some crucial goals and was able to get his place in the annals of Barca's greatest.

His dribbling, vision, selfless spirit, unity with the team made him an icon for the crowd. In each or almost each game, he was given a standing ovation. Camp Nou in his time was at its best. A player like Kubala is born only once.

Some statistical data:

CF Barcelona

* Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 2
o 1958, 1960

* Copa Latina: 1
o 1952

* Spanish Champions: 4
o 1952, 1953, 1959, 1960

* Copa del Generalísimo: 5
o 1951, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1959

* Copa Eva Duarte: 2
o 1952, 1953

o 1987-88

Caps (Czech.): 6 (W4 –D1 – L1 - %75.00)
Goals (Czech.): 4 (0.66 per match)
Caps (Hungary): 3 (W1 –D1 – L1 - %50.00)
Caps (Spain): 19 (W9 –D5 – L5 - %60.52)
Goals (Spain): 11 (0.57 per match)
Caps (total): 28 (W14 –D7 – L7 - %62.50)
Goals (total): 15 (0.53 per match)
Age First Cap (Czech.): 19 yr 139 d; 27.10.1946 vs. Austria 4-3
Age Last Cap (Czech.): 20 yr 187 d; 14.12.1947 vs. Italy 1-3
Age First Cap (Hungary): 20 yr 347 d; 23.05.1948 vs. Albania 0-0
Age Last Cap (Hungary): 21 yr 150 d; 07.11.1948 vs. Bulgaria 0-1
Age First Cap (Spain): 26 yr 25 d; 05.07.1953 vs. Argentina 0-1
Age Last Cap (Spain): 34 yr 183 d; 10.12.1961 vs. France 1-1
National Team Career (Czech.): 1 yr 48 d
National Team Career (Hungary): 0 yr 168 d
National Team Career (Spain): 8 yr 158 d
National Team Career (Total): 15 yr 44 d

Former FC Barcelona forward and Spain coach Ladislao Kubala has been awarded a posthumous Order of Merit by world football's governing body FIFA.

Many honours
Kubala, voted the greatest player in Barcelona's history during their centenary in 1999, died in May at the age of 74. With Barcelona, he won four league titles, five Spanish Cups and two Fairs Cups before retiring in the 1961/62 season.

'Distinguished service'
FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter said the Hungarian-born player was given the award for "the distinguished service that he gave to football during his long career". Kubala played 329 times for Barcelona, scoring 256 goals in his ten years at the club.

Spain success
Kubala, who also played for Czechoslovakia and Hungary, made 19 appearances for Spain, scoring eleven goals for his adopted country. After a spell in charge at Barcelona, he went on to coach the Spanish national team for 68 games from 1969 to 1980, holding the post for longer than anyone before or since and finishing with a record of won 31, drawn 21 and lost 16.

Vast experience
His other coaching credits include Barcelona (again), RCD Espanyol, Real Murcia CF, Elche CF, Córdoba CF, Málaga CF and spells in Switzerland, Canada, Paraguay and Saudi Arabia. uefa.com

Some interesting stuff about him:

Sun Sign of Ladislao Kubala : Gemini
Symbol : The Twins
Birth Number of Ladislao Kubala : 10
Ruling Planet : Mercury
Chinese Sign of Ladislao Kubala : Rabbit
Type : Air-Mutable-Positive

 

[Barcaman]

Stellar effort Mirko!

 

[barSELOna]

What a legend! If Franco hadn't lived in this word Di Stefano and Puskas would have played in Barca too:!:

 

[M.L. King]

Just imagine this trio playing together.

 

[barSELOna]

See ! Look!

Franco missed them ! We know every real ! We will never forget this !

?t was from a friendly match before they have been escaped ! Look at the logos

 

[M.L. King]

Yeah I know Di Stefano's case; it's a real pity.

 

[barSELOna]

So Franco is the best wanker !

 

[BOIXOS1981]

What a legend! If Franco hadn't lived in this word Di Stefano and Puskas would have played in Barca too:!:

Di Stefano did play for us in a couple of friendlies, but due to Barça´s desion he didn´t play for us. The Goverment got involed during a brutal dictatorship. An offer was made to Barça and Madrid to agree on a season each. We said no so it´s our own falut as far as I´m conserened. We did have problems in the 70´s with foreign players, only 2 foreinger were allowed in the side. We had Neeskens and Cruyff, Sotil a South American player had to sit out a whole season because he was promised Spanish nationality which never happened.

 

[barSELOna]

What a legend! If Franco hadn't lived in this word Di Stefano and Puskas would have played in Barca too:!:

Di Stefano did play for us in a couple of friendlies, but due to Barça´s desion he didn´t play for us. The Goverment got involed during a brutal dictatorship. An offer was made to Barça and Madrid to agree on a season each. We said no so it´s our own falut as far as I´m conserened. We did have problems in the 70´s with foreign players, only 2 foreinger were allowed in the side. We had Neeskens and Cruyff, Sotil a South American player had to sit out a whole season because he was promised Spanish nationality which never happened.

I know all of them bro, just he could play for us but Franco didn't want it.

 

[BOIXOS1981]

I don´t really think Franco would be that bothered, considering in the first stages of the dictatorship FC Madrid the orininal name of the team founded by Catalans had links to left-wing political parites. Santiago Burnabeu made Real what it is today not Franco although some infulence was used in the later years.

 

[barSELOna]

They dont want it if we had had kubala di stefano and puskas what would have been our team ? We would have got all of cups

 

[BOIXOS1981]

We never had Puskas in the first place and we messed up over Di Stefano

 

[barSELOna]

? dont know Puskas but if Franco hadnt been we'd have had Di Stefano .Everybody knows that how Di Stefano was menaced ?

 

[VivaBarca]

Kubala was better than Puskas.

 

[Flavia]

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