Kálmán Mészöly

Kálmán Mészöly was a Hungarian footballer who was known by his nickname of “The Blond Rock”. Mészöly spent his entire playing career with Vasas SC from 1959 to 1972, winning four Hungarian league titles with the club in the 1960s. With Vasas Mészöly played in a total of 279 matches where he scored 32 goals. From 1961 to 1971 Mészöly played in 61 matches for the Hungarian national football team. He played in the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups and the 1964 European Championship. Mészöly was also part of Hungary’s squad for the football tournament at the 1960 Roma Olympics but he did not play in any matches.

After his playing career ended Mészöly became a coach both domestically and internationally. Mészöly coached the Hungarian team in 31 matches. In his first spell as the national coach from 1980 to 1983 the Hungarian team qualified for the World Cup. Mészöly became the only Hungarian footballer to participate at the World Cup as both a player and a coach. In 1985 Mészöly became the coach of Fenerbahce in Turkey and also coached the Turkish national football team. He later coached teams in Cyprus and Saudi Arabia. In August 2011 Mészöly was awarded with the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary. Two years later Vasas awarded Mészöly with a Lifetime Achievement Award.