György Sárosi

1930-1932 : Rise to the first team

Aged 18 years old, on 15 March 1931, he made his debut in the first team, in the Ferencváros-Bástya (7:0) championship match. This is how the newspapers evaluated their performance after the match: "Sárosi turned out to be what we expected. Equivalent to a good Bukov, he is in a great location, has a great fit, has a high level of game intelligence, and is the main working judge, a developing centerhalf. He played a definite national team form." "He was only a boy, but on the pitch it seemed like he was the man playing against kids in the park," said Zoltán Blum, who handed Sárosi his bow. "It was just so easy to him. He was big, really strong, quick, never lost a header. He was impossible to bully. Moreover, he played with such confidence – even at that age he played with the confidence of a captain. He would stride out of the defence with the ball, taking on opponents and launching attacks." His first league goal was in 1930-31 against Pécs-Baranya FC on 17 and 24 May 1931. Winning the 1931-32 championship was an unforgettable experience for Sárosi. He played in 19 out of 22 matches due to injury or illness. On 8 September 1932, the Hungarian Cup final was played on Hungária út. Hungária-Ferencváros 4-3. A game that Ferencváros lost.

1933-1938 His best years

Magyar Kupa final

At the age of 20, György Sárosi was already one of the best players in the world, and had one of the best performances ever against…

Start as a defender

Sárosi's international career began as an 18-year-old in a 3–2 loss to Yugoslavia in May 1931. In just his second Hungary appearance, the teenager shackled Czechoslovakia goal machine Antonín Puč, as his country recorded a 3-0 win. Because of his infallible performances in defence, it was not until his 15th outing that Hungary experimented with Sárosi in attack. Predictably, he scored that day against Sweden.

World Cup 1934

In 1934, Sárosi played his first World Cup. Despite being injured in the first game against Egypt, he was fit to play in the quarter-final against Austria. Despite scoring a penalty at the 60th minute, Sárosi didn't play well because of his injury that still had an effect on his game. Hungary ended up losing the game 1-2. Nemzeti Sport was very harsh with Sárosi and criticized him for not being at his usual level:

Sárosi, who finally entered the game after his injury, is the one who was believed to be the sure column of the Hungarian world championship, this is the weakest man in the former strike line of Sárosi. The big Gyuri of Hungarian football was soft, weak, pale. Not a single movement evoked the "Easter" times[1], nor did the real Sárosi give anything. His passes failed, he was the culprit of all success in the crucial situations of the pass. He was not hurt, he was not pushed, and even if it seems like a paradox, Sesta was almost sympathetic. About a bodyguard or a small escort, only one person could turn…

Born György Stefancsics in Budapest on 5 August 1912, the family name was later changed to Sárosi to make them sound more Hungarian. His father was a tailor and raised three children (György, László and Béla); All three became national team athletes – Béla Sárosi also became a footballer, while László Sárosi played water polo (as did his son of the same name, not to be confused with a namesake footballer of that generation, who is no relation). During his school years, in addition to football, György played tennis, table tennis, water polo and athletics. In addition to his perfect technical skills, he stood out from the field in terms of tactics and game intelligence. He completed his schooling at the Eötvös High School in Reáltanoda Street. The school's football team was in the KISOK league. He was already playing here, with two of his later teammates, Háda and Lázár. The coach of the Ferencváros youth team Károly "Zsazsa" Izsák saw him play several times in the school team. He joined Ferencvaros's youth ranks as a 15-year-old. When the capital giants wanted to tie him to a professional deal a couple of years later, though, the youngster had other ideas. "I wanted to become a lawyer," Sárosi recalled. "I saw football as something to play for fun, not a career. However, my father (who was struggling for work as a tailor) convinced me that too many people were losing jobs in the depression, and that I was good enough to make a real go of being a footballer."

He first became the coach of Bari in 1948/49. His greatest success was winning a championship with the Juventus guard in 1952. Until 1977, he worked for ten clubs. He later only coached youth teams. In July 1976, he visited home for the first time. On 20 July, he was greeted by the FTC Circle of Friends. It was an unforgettable experience. After his football career, Sárosi travelled a lot in Europe, when a journalist asked him what was the most beautiful city in the world, his answer was always one: "Ferencváros in Budapest. It was the narrower scene of my dream-like twenty years – the time of my football career – that I have spent on the Üllői Úti field […] The story of Fradi, and my life is completely intertwined, intertwined within me." He died on 19 June 1993 in Genoa and was buried there.