Friday 18 May 2018, 08:00

27 days to go: Record-setting Mighty Magyars

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ is drawing ever nearer – with just 27 days to go! Between now and the start of the World Cup, we will take a closer look at a different statistic from the history of the tournament each day.

27 - With their exceptional individual skill and outstanding team play, this generation of Hungarian footballers were unsurprisingly known as the 'Golden Team' or the 'Mighty Magyars'. Most of the side also played their club football for Honved in Budapest, which meant they could string together passes and find each other effortlessly when representing the national team. The legendary names of Sandor Kocsis, Nandor Hidegkuti and, above all, Ferenc Puskas, have been etched permanently in the history books of Hungarian and world football.

Their near-telepathic ability meant they scored a total of 27 goals at the 1954 FIFA World Cup™, the most by a team at a single World Cup tournament. It makes the achievement of West Germany in the Switzerland 1954 Final all the more remarkable, as they denied the Mighty Magyars the ultimate glory with a shock 3-2 victory.