Gyula Zsengellér

Gyula Zsengellér (27 December 1915 – 29 March 1999) was a Hungarian footballer who played as a striker. A legend of Újpest FC, he is most famous for his part in taking the Hungary national team to the 1938 World Cup Final. He was that tournament's second-highest scorer, behind Leonidas of Brazil.

Gyula Zsengellér

Gyula Zsengellér
Personal information
Full name	Gyula Zsengellér
Date of birth	(1915-12-27)27 December 1915
Place of birth	Cegléd, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary
Date of death	29 March 1999(1999-03-29) (aged 83)
Place of death	Nicosia, Cyprus
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1935–1936	Salgótarjáni TC	24	(19)
1936–1947	Újpest FC	301	(368)
1947–1949	A.S. Roma	34	(6)
1949–1950	AC Ancona	30	(18)
1951–1953	Deportivo Samarios	37	(23)
Total		426	(434)
International career
1936–1947	Hungary	39	(33)
Managerial career
1950	Cosenza
1951–1953	Deportivo Samarios (player-manager)
1953–1954	Pezoporikos Larnaca
1955–1957	Pezoporikos Larnaca
1957–1959	Nea Salamis FC
1959–1960	Cosenza
1960–1961	Pezoporikos Larnaca
1961–1962	Salernitana
1962–1964	US Sarom Ravenna
1964–1965	Apollon Kalamarias
1965–1966	APOEL FC
1966–1968	Pezoporikos Larnaca
1968–1970	Anorthosis Famagusta
1970	Pezoporikos Larnaca
1970–1972	Cosenza (assistant)
1972–1974	ASK Olympiakos Volos F.C.
1974–1976	APOEL FC
1976–1979	APOP Paphos
Medal record Representing  Hungary FIFA World Cup Runner-up 1938 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

His first international cap came on 2 December 1936, when Hungary lost 6–2 to England. In total, he gained 39 caps for his country, scoring 33 goals. This makes him the eighth-highest goalscorer of all-time for the Hungary national side.

Zsengellér also played 325 games in the Hungarian league and scored 387 goals between 1935 and 1947, making him the third-highest goalscorer of all-time in the Hungarian league. He began his career at Salgótarjáni TC, then moving to Újpest FC in 1936. Zsengellér spent 11 years serving Újpest, when in 1947 he joined Italian side A.S. Roma. In the 1949–50 season Zsengellér played for Ancona and he finished his career playing for Colombian Deportivo Samarios between 1951 and 1952.[1]

He was the Hungarian league's top-scorer in five seasons: 1938, 1939, 1943, 1944 and in the spring season of 1945. He was Europe's top goalscorer in 1939 and 1945. He was also the top scorer of the 1939 Mitropa Cup (9 goals).

After his retirement, Zsengellér started a long and successful managerial career, working mainly in Italy and Cyprus. He won the Cypriot First Division with Pezoporikos Larnaca in 1954 and the Cypriot Cup with APOEL FC in 1976. He died in 1999 aged 83.

IFFHS named Zsengellér the 7th most successful Top Division Goal Scorer of all time.