LEGENDARY • FUNNY

The personal story of museum founder János Angyal about this sport relic

I was a VIP guest at the celebration of the Samsung factory in Jászfényszaru on November 21, 1997, where Ferenc Puskás – Öcsi bácsi (uncle Öcsi in Hungarian)- was the guest of honour. It was a fantastic experience to meet this brilliant football player and I cherish our photo which captured the meeting.

Before, I was rather nervous asking him “Öcsi bácsi, may I take a photo?”. Instead of an answer, in his well-known straightforward style he asked me right back: “Where you from, kid?” I said, Salgótarján after which he hugged me, his lips turning into a smile and inquired about his sports friends from Tarján, especially about Ferenc Szojka, with whom he played in the National Team.

Afterwards, Öcsi bácsi gave me the gift of a story, an autograph and the accompanying heartfelt note. “Imagine, we arrived at night in Helsinki for the 1952 Olympics. We were accommodated on an island, in a picturesque environment. After I packed out, I figured we should go out and play football, it was the time of white nights in Finland. It was around midnight when Gyula Mándi field coach made us finish the game but we kept talking about how light the night was even back in our accommodation. Feri Szojka asked with a nice palóc pronunciation: »Öcsi, no owls here, then?«, which the Budapest-based crew really liked.
Now, whenever I meet him, I always ask »Feri, any owls?«.

It is a kind story and an unforgettable memory.