Ferenc Puskas

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Lore & Background

Ferenc Puskás scored 806 goals in 793 games across his career, a staggering rate that underlines his reputation as the most powerful and prolific forward Europe produced in first-division football. His 86 national team goals in 90 appearances for Hungary stood as a world record at the time. The FIFA Puskás Award, established on 20 October 2009 by FIFA at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, is named in his honour and awarded to the player judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant, or 'most beautiful', goal of the calendar year. The award reflects Puskás's own legacy of scoring goals of exceptional quality.

In Their Own Story

Puskás's goal-scoring numbers are extraordinary: 806 goals in 793 games, a ratio that places him among the most prolific forwards in football history. His 86 goals in 90 appearances for the Hungarian national team was a world record at the time, demonstrating his consistency and lethal finishing on the international stage. In 1997, the IFFHS honoured him as the best top-tier goalscorer of the 20th century, cementing his status as a forward of unmatched productivity. The Puskás Award, first presented on 21 December 2009, continues to celebrate the kind of aesthetically beautiful goals that defined his career.

Reader's Guide

Puskás's career statistics are remarkable: he scored 806 goals in 793 games overall, with 86 goals in 90 appearances for Hungary — a world record at the time. He was honoured by the IFFHS in 1997 as the best top-tier goalscorer of the 20th century. The FIFA Puskás Award, named after him, was established on 20 October 2009 and first awarded on 21 December 2009 to Cristiano Ronaldo. The award criteria require the goal to be 'aesthetically beautiful', scored without the result of luck or a mistake, in support of fair play, and judged without distinction of championship or nationality. As of July 2026, no player has won the award twice.

Did You Know?

• Puskás scored 806 goals in 793 games, a ratio of over a goal per game.
• His 86 national team goals in 90 appearances was a world record at the time.
• The IFFHS honoured him in 1997 as the best top-tier goalscorer of the 20th century.
• The FIFA Puskás Award was established on 20 October 2009 and first awarded on 21 December 2009.
• As of July 2026, no player has won the Puskás Award twice.