Pál Várhidi

Pál Várhidi born as Pál Vinkovics ( born November 6, 1931 in Újpest, Budapest ) is a former Hungarian football player and later coach.

Career

Pál Várhidi played throughout his footballing career at the club Újpest Budapest. In his sixteen years with the club from 1949 to 1965, he won Újpest, where he played with, among others other Hungarian football greats of that time like Ferenc Szusza, Ferenc Bene Ferenc Deák or, once the Hungarian Championship. In the 1959/60 season finished Újpest the first rank in the Nemzeti National Championship with five points ahead of Ferencvaros Budapest. In the following two years Újpest was each second, 1960/61, four points adrift of Vasas Budapest, 1961/62, two points behind again Vasas. At the international level Pál Várhidi could not win with Újpest no title, but one reached in the European Cup Winners' Cup 1961/62 the semi-finals, although they had not won the cup last year, but was only in the final. There you failed at defending Fiorentina 0-2 in Italy and 0-1 in Budapest. Florence then lost the final against Atletico Madrid. Another such moderate success could Pál Várhidi with Újpest not make it, he ended his active career at the club in 1965 after sixteen years.

After the end of his active career as a football player Pál Várhidi was a football coach. He coached several clubs, including 1974 to 1980 his hometown club Újpest Budapest. After he had previously trained at the same club as an assistant coach, he took over the post of coach in 1974 and had a very successful time with Újpest. In his first season as head coach, he won the Hungarian championship when you first place with three -point score was in the table before Ferencvaros Budapest. In the same year he took the club also very successful in the European Cup of Champions part where Újpest penetrated to the semifinals, where they failed to eventual winners Bayern Munich. Initially, it was defeated, among others, Benfica Lisbon. The following seasons ran for Várhidi and Újpest very successful until the end of his time as a coach at the club, he won three more times, the Hungarian football championship, two more times was one second. Even the Hungarian Cup, he never won as a player, Várhidi won with Újpest in 1975. During his time as manager of Újpest Budapest, he also coached his son Péter, who played from 1968 to 1980 for Újpest, and later became coach and among others, from 2006 to 2008 the Hungarian national football team coached.

In the Hungarian national football team as a player it brought Pál Várhidi 1954-1957 on ten missions. The defender was in the squad Hungary for the World Cup in Switzerland in 1954, but completed a single game while his team, which was started as a big favorite in the tournament, until the endgame in Wankdorfstadion of Bern lost against Germany and seemed to be sure title missed. A second major tournament set Pál Várhidi with the Summer Olympic Games in Rome in 1960, where the Hungarian team won the bronze medal. Again, however, he just stood in the squad and did not play.