Zoltán Varga (footballer, born 1945)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Zoltán Varga

| image = Zoltan Varga (1973).jpg

| image_size = 220

| caption = Varga in 1973

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1945|1|1}}

| birth_place = Vál, Hungary

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2010|4|9|1945|1|1}}

| death_place = Budapest, Hungary

| height = 1.76 m

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 = 1959–1961

| youthclubs1 = Ferencváros

| years1 = 1961–1968

| years2 = 1968–1969

| years3 = 1969–1972

| years4 = 1972–1973

| years5 = 1973–1974

| years6 = 1974–1976

| years7 = 1976–1977

| years8 = 1977–1978

| clubs1 = Ferencváros

| clubs2 = Standard Liège

| clubs3 = Hertha BSC

| clubs4 = Aberdeen

| clubs5 = Ajax

| clubs6 = Borussia Dortmund

| clubs7 = FC Augsburg

| clubs8 = Gent

| caps1 = 135

| goals1 = 53

| caps2 = 0

| goals2 = 0

| caps3 = 34

| goals3 = 9

| caps4 = 26

| goals4 = 10

| caps5 = 12

| goals5 = 2

| caps6 = 56

| goals6 = 11

| caps7 = 8

| goals7 = 1

| caps8 = 0

| goals8 = 0

| totalcaps = 271

| totalgoals = 86

| nationalyears1 = 1964–1968

| nationalteam1 = Hungary

| nationalcaps1 = 12

| nationalgoals1 = 2

| manageryears1 = 1981

| manageryears2 = 1996–1997

| manageryears3 = 1997

| manageryears4 = 2000

| manageryears5 = 2001

| manageryears6 = 2003

| managerclubs1 = Preußen Münster

| managerclubs2 = Ferencváros

| managerclubs3 = Budapest Honvéd

| managerclubs4 = Diósgyőr

| managerclubs5 = Győr

| managerclubs6 = Győr

| medaltemplates-expand = yes

| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's football}}

{{MedalCountry|{{HUN}}}}

}}

Zoltán Varga (1 January 1945 – 9 April 2010) was a Hungarian footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s.Obituary London Independent, 29 April 2010.

He was an Olympic gold medalist at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He played for Ferencvárosi TC when they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1965, beating Juventus 1–0 in the final. He also played for Ajax Amsterdam.

He played in Germany for Borussia Dortmund and Hertha BSC, but was banned after he was caught taking bribes to lose matches.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/varga-tunes-red-corner-2480373|title=Varga tunes in to red corner|work=The Scotsman}}

During the period of his ban he played for Aberdeen F.C. in Scotland.

Club career

=Career in Hungary=

Varga began his professional csreer with Ferencváros. He played for them between 1961 and 1968, one of the most successful post-World War II periods in the club's history. Varga made 135 career appearances, scoring 53 goals. The club became champion in 1962 and '63, 1964, 1967 and 1968 NB I-season as well.

In these years, Fradi, as one of Europe's best club teams, qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup series, also called the International Festival of the major European Football Confederation tournament. Today's successor to the European leagues.

In 1962–63 seasons in the semi-finals in a row Varga, and two years later, 1964–65 they won it. Success is not interrupted in 1967, 68 in the runner. Since the Mexican Olympic Games, Varga left the country, so successfully ended the era of Ferencváros.

=Career in Europe=

Between 1969 and 1972, Varga scored nine in 34 games for the German side Hertha BSC; played 26 games for Aberdeen in Scotland, where he is still considered by many to be the finest foreign import ever to play for the club;{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}} scored two goals in 12 games for the Dutch side Ajax; eleven in 56 games for the German side Borussia Dortmund; and finally, also in Germany, one in 8 games for FC Augsburg.

International career

Between 1964 and 1968 he had been included in the Hungarian national team 12 times and scored 2 goals. In 1964, Spain's European Championship team bronze medal for the author made his debut as a member of the team. In 1966 he participated in the World Cup in England, but could not play due to an earlier injury.

He received a gold medal as member of Hungary's Olympic Team in the Tokyo Olympic Games, in 1964. During the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City he had left the Hungarian Team Camp before the matches and did not return to Hungary.

Death

On 9 April 2010, Varga was playing in an old-boys football match at Danuvia when he was taken ill. He collapsed and, despite efforts by teammates and emergency responders to resusciate him, died at the age of 65.{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/soccer-europe-hungary-varga-idINLDE63823F20100409 | title=Soccer-Hungarian Varga dies on the pitch aged 65 | newspaper=Reuters | date=9 April 2010 }}

Career statistics

= Club =

= <small>Appearances and goals by club, season and competition</small><ref>{{Cite web |last=Strack-Zimmermann |first=Benjamin |title=Zoltán Varga |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/old/player/42011/Zoltan_Varga.html |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=www.national-football-teams.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Zoltan Varga |url=https://www.fussballdaten.de/person/zoltan-varga/ |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=Fussballdaten |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust - Player Profile |url=https://afcheritage.org/Team/CurrentSquad/player_show.cfm?player_id=722 |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=afcheritage.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Zoltán Varga at Ajax |url=http://www.afc-ajax.info/en/soccer-player/Zoltan-Varga |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=AFC-Ajax.info |language=en}}</ref> =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|National Cup ! colspan="2" \|League Cup ! colspan="2" \|Europe ! colspan="2" \|Other ! colspan="2" \|Total
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
rowspan="9" \|Ferencvárosi \|1961-62 \| rowspan="8" \|Nemzeti Bajnokság I \|2 \|0 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|2+ \|0+
1962-63 \|11 \|4 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|11+ \|4+
1963 \|4 \|0 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|4+ \|0+
1964 \|25 \|7 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|25+ \|7+
1965 \|22 \|6 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|22+ \|6+
1966 \|21 \|9 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|21+ \|9+
1967 \|30 \|15 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|30+ \|15+
1968 \|20 \|12 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|20+ \|12+
colspan="2" \|Total !135 !53 !- !- !- !- !- !- !- !- !135+ !53+
rowspan="4" \|Hertha BSC \|1969-70 \| rowspan="3" \|Bundesliga \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \| - \| - \|0 \|0 \| - \| - \|0 \|0
1970-71 \|22 \|5 \|1 \|0 \| - \| - \|1 \|0 \| - \| - \|24 \|5
1971-72 \|12 \|4 \|0 \|0 \| - \| - \|4 \|1 \| - \| - \|16 \|5
colspan="2" \|Total !34 !9 !1 !0 !- !- !5 !1 !- !- !40 !10
rowspan="2" \|Aberdeen \|1972-73 \|Scottish Division One \|26 \|10 \|3 \|0 \|2 \|0 \|0 \|0 \| - \| - \|31 \|10
colspan="2" \|Total !26 !10 !3 !0 !2 !0 !0 !0 !- !- !31 !10
rowspan="3" \|Ajax \|1973-74 \| rowspan="2" \|Eredivisie \|12 \|2 \|1 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \| - \| - \|13 \|2
1974-75 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|0 \| - \| - \|0 \|0
colspan="2" \|Total !12 !2 !1 !0 !0 !0 !0 !0 !- !- !13 !2
rowspan="3" \|Borussia Dortmund \|1974-75 \| rowspan="2" \|2. Bundesliga \|30 \|5 \|5 \|1 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|35 \|6
1975-76 \|26 \|6 \|2 \|0 \| - \| - \| - \| - \|1 \|0 \|29 \|6
colspan="2" \|Total !56 !11 !7 !1 !- !- !- !- !1 !0 !64 !12
rowspan="2" \|FC Augsburg \|1976-77 \|Süd \|8 \|1 \|2 \|0 \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \| - \|10 \|1
colspan="2" \|Total !8 !1 !2 !0 !- !- !- !- !- !- !10 !1
colspan="3" \|Career total !271 !86 !14 !1+ !2+ !0+ !5+ !0+ !1 !0 !293+ !88+

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |National Cup

! colspan="2" |League Cup

! colspan="2" |Europe

! colspan="2" |Other

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals