György Hlavay

György Hlavay started his football career in 1904, playing for Budapesti TC. From 1909-13 he played as a defender for Nemzeti Sport Club (NSC). His best position in the championship with NSC was a third place in 1910. He then transferred to MTK wearing its colours until 1920. Due to a five-year break during World War I, he played just two seasons for the club but helped them win the Hungarian championship in both seasons and the cup in 1914. He was named “MTK’s Eternal Champion”.

Hlavay won eight caps between 1909 and 1914, scoring one goal. Six of these eight games were against arch-rival Austria. He was an unused reserve for the 1912 Olympic Games, where the Hungarian team placed fifth as winner of the consolation round. Hlavay may not have been present in Stockholm.

In 1924 he started a coaching career with Újpesti TE in Budapest. In the following years he worked mainly in Italy but also in Hungary and Romania: Udinese Calcio (1925), Juventus București (1926, 1930), Bástya FC (now Szegedi AK, 1928), SPAL Ferrara (1930-31, 1935-36), and Brescia Calcio (1932-35). The highlights of Hlavay’s coaching career were his seasons with Ferencvárosi TC in Budapest from 1938-1939. He led the team to a second place in 1939 and to the title of the Hungarian championship and into two finals of the Mitropa Cup (1938-39). In 1945, he returned for a short spell to NSC.