Top Goal Scorers For Hungary Football Team All-Time: Hungary has a strong tradition of producing excellent soccer players, especially strikers. Players like Ferenc Puskás and Sándor Kocsis have made a mark in the football world wearing Hungary’s red, white, and green colors. Hungary performed well in the World Championship finals in 1938 and 1954.
Top Goal Scorers For Hungary Football Team All-Time
In this article, we’ll talk about the highest goal scorers for the Hungary national football team throughout its history.
1. Ferenc Puskás
- Career Span: 1945–1956
- Matches: 85
- Goals: 84
- Average: 0.99
Ferenc Puskás is Hungary’s all-time top goal scorer. He started playing for the national team when he was just 17 years old, on August 20, 1945, in a match against Austria, which Hungary won 5-2. His international career ended on October 14, 1956, with a 2-0 victory over Austria in Vienna. In total, he played 85 international matches for Hungary.
Puskás had some remarkable achievements during his time with the national team. In 1950, he scored four goals in a match against Albania, which Hungary won 12-0. He also scored three goals in four different games: against Luxembourg in 1946 (7-2 win), Romania in 1948 (5-1 win), Austria in 1949 (6-1 win), and Austria again in 1950 (4-3 win). He was a consistent top scorer in more than 50 international matches.
Throughout his international career, Hungary won 63 matches with Puskás on the team, lost 11 games, and had 11 draws. He scored a total of 84 goals for Hungary, making him the country’s highest goal-scorer ever.
2. Sándor Kocsis
- Career Span: 1948–1956
- Matches: 68
- Goals: 75
- Average: 1.1
Sándor Kocsis is Hungary’s second-highest goal scorer in football history. He made his debut for the national team at the age of 18, in a remarkable 9-0 victory against Romania on June 6, 1948. Kocsis quickly became a key player in the legendary Hungarian team known as the Aranycsapat or Golden Elf.
Under the guidance of coach Gusztáv Sebes, Hungary’s national team achieved great success, including winning the Olympic gold in Helsinki in 1952 and famously defeating England 6-3 at Wembley Stadium. The team was considered a top contender for the 1954 World Cup, and Kocsis played a pivotal role, scoring eleven goals in the tournament. However, in the final match against Germany, Hungary suffered a 2-3 defeat, marking their first loss in four years and a national tragedy.
Kocsis played his last international match on October 14, 1956, against Austria (2-0). Soon after, he left Hungary, and his national team career came to an end.
3. Imre Schlosser
- Career Span: 1906–1927
- Matches: 68
- Goals: 59
- Average: 0.87
Imre Schlosser, the third-highest goal scorer for Hungary’s football team, began his international career on October 7, 1906, in a match against Bohemia, which ended in a 4-4 draw. Just a month later, he scored his first goal for Hungary in a 3-1 victory against Austria on November 4th, 1906. Schlosser’s prolific career with the national team spanned over two decades, concluding on April 10, 1927, in a match against Austria. During this time, he scored a remarkable 59 goals in 68 international matches for Hungary.
Schlosser had notable moments in his career, such as a memorable match against Switzerland on October 29, 1911, where he scored six goals in Hungary’s 9-0 victory. He also played a significant role in Hungary’s success at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, scoring all three goals in their win against Germany on July 3rd.
Schlosser’s achievements included captaining the national team 31 times and being a key player alongside famous teammate Alfréd Schaffer, also known as the “Football King.” His world record of 59 international goals stood until November 25, 1953, when Ferenc Puskás broke it with his 60th and 61st goals in Hungary’s 6-3 victory against England.
4. Lajos Tichy
- Career Span: 1955–1971
- Matches: 72
- Goals: 51
- Average: 0.71
Lajos Tichy, Hungary’s fourth-highest goal scorer, had an impressive international career spanning 16 years from 1955 to 1971. During this time, he played 72 matches for Hungary and scored 51 goals. One of his notable achievements was securing third place at the 1964 European Championship, where Spain emerged as the champions, followed by the Soviet Union.
After Hungary’s stunning defeat in the 1954 World Cup final against Germany, the team underwent changes. Despite challenges, Hungary aimed for success, blending experienced players like József Bozsik and new talents such as Flórián Albert and Lajos Tichy. In the 1958 World Cup, Hungary performed well but faced elimination in the preliminary round.
In the 1962 World Cup, Hungary showcased glimpses of their former glory, defeating England and Bulgaria. However, their journey ended in the quarter-finals against Czechoslovakia. Tichy contributed significantly, scoring goals in crucial matches. In the 1966 World Cup, Hungary impressed by reaching the quarter-finals, defeating defending champions Brazil in the group stage.
5. György Sárosi
- Career Span: 1931–1943
- Matches: 62
- Goals: 42
- Average: 0.68
György Sárosi, Hungary’s fifth-highest goal scorer, made a significant impact on the national team between 1931 and 1943, playing 62 international matches and scoring 42 goals. He participated in the World Championships in 1934 and 1938, displaying exceptional skills on the field. In the 1934 World Cup, he scored a goal from a penalty against Austria, although Hungary faced defeat. In 1938, Sárosi played a crucial role, scoring five times, including in the final against Italy, although Hungary lost the match.
Remarkably, Sárosi scored at least one goal in each of his five World Cup games. He also excelled in the European Cup for national teams from 1933 to 1935, and he held the title of the most successful goal scorer in the aborted competition from 1936 to 1938. In one extraordinary game against Czechoslovakia in September 1937, he scored seven goals.
After retiring as a player, Sárosi pursued a successful coaching career in Italy. He managed several clubs, including AS Bari, Juventus, CFC Genoa, AS Roma, FC Bologna, and Brescia Calcio. His coaching expertise was acknowledged, and he later became a coach at FC Lugano in Switzerland. Sárosi’s contributions were highly regarded, and he was honored as one of the 100 European Players of the Century in 1999 and ranked fifth in the Hungarian Footballer of the Century vote.
6. Nándor Hidegkuti
- Career Span: 1945–1958
- Matches: 69
- Goals: 39
- Average: 0.57
Nándor Hidegkuti was a famous Hungarian football player in the 1940s and 1950s. He scored 39 goals for Hungary in 69 international matches between 1945 and 1958. Hidegkuti made a strong debut, scoring twice against Romania in 1945 and later scored a hat-trick against Bulgaria in 1947 and another against Finland in 1951.
He played a special role as a deep-lying center-forward in the Golden Team of Hungary. This tactic confused opponents because the traditional defenders couldn’t mark him properly, creating space for his teammates. This strategy was innovative at that time and required excellent skills in controlling the ball and passing.
Hidegkuti’s impact was huge. England and Scotland were defeated by Hungary in the World Cup series in 1954. Even though players like Puskas and Kocsis were praised, it was Hidegkuti who played a key role. He was the one who tore apart the England defense in matches in 1953 and 1954, using his unique playing style. Sepp Herberger, the manager of the German team that beat Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final, recognized Hidegkuti’s importance and adjusted his team’s tactics to stop him.
7. Ferenc Bene
- Career Span: 1962–1979
- Matches: 76
- Goals: 36
- Average: 0.47
Ferenc Bene, the 7th-ranked top goal scorer for Hungary, started his international career at just 17 years old in 1962 against Yugoslavia. In 1964, he played a crucial role in Hungary’s success at the European Football Championship in Spain, scoring important goals, including one against Spain in the semi-final and another against Denmark in the third-place match.
He also scored a vital goal in the European Championship qualification against France in 1964. In the same year, he was the top scorer at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, helping Hungary win the gold medal with twelve goals, including all six goals in a group game against Morocco and one in the final against Czechoslovakia.
Bene continued to shine at the 1966 World Cup in England, scoring a goal against Brazil and contributing to Hungary’s victory, which was Brazil’s first World Cup defeat since 1954.
In total, he played 76 international matches for Hungary from 1962 to 1979, scoring 36 goals. He was even named Hungarian Footballer of the Year in 1969.
8. Gyula Zsengellér
- Career Span: 1936–1947
- Matches: 39
- Goals: 32
- Average: 0.82
Gyula Zsengellér was a great soccer player from Hungary. He is ranked 8th on the list of top goal scorers for the Hungarian national football team. In the 1938 World Cup in France He scored a lot of goals, helping Hungary reach the final match. Unfortunately, they lost 2-4 to Italy in the final game.
During the World Cup, Zsengellér scored six goals, which was impressive. He came second in the list of top goal scorers, just behind the Brazilian player Leônidas da Silva. In total, Zsengellér played 39 international matches for Hungary and scored 32 goals.
9. Tibor Nyilasi
- Career Span: 1975–1985
- Matches: 70
- Goals: 32
- Average: 0.46
Tibor Nyilasi is the 9th highest goal scorer for the Hungary national football team. He played for FTC Budapest from 1972 to 1983, and then he moved to FK Austria Wien for €500,000. In Austria, he scored 113 goals in 144 competitive games between 1983 and 1988.
For the Hungarian national team, Nyilasi scored 32 goals in 70 games. He also participated in the 1978 and 1982 World Cup tournaments, representing his country on the international stage.
10. Flórián Albert
- Career Span: 1959–1974
- Matches: 74
- Goals: 31
- Average: 0.42
Flórián Albert is the 10th-highest goal scorer for Hungary’s national football team. He played in the 1962 World Cup in Chile and the 1966 World Cup in England with Hungary. In Chile, he scored four goals in three games, sharing the top-scorer title with players from Brazil, Chile, Yugoslavia, and Russia. However, due to a draw, Garrincha from Brazil was officially named the top scorer.
Albert also played in the European Football Championships in 1964 and 1972, where Hungary finished third and fourth respectively. He represented his country 74 times, scoring 31 goals.
In 1967, he won the Ballon d’Or as Europe’s Footballer of the Year, beating notable players like Bobby Charlton, Franz Beckenbauer, and Eusébio. Sadly, his football career ended in 1974 due to a severe injury during an international match against the Danish national team.
