Jozsef Sabo: biography, sports career

József Szabó is a famous Soviet football player and coach who is of Hungarian descent, but at the same time he spent his whole career in Soviet clubs. Moreover, even after the completion of a football player's career, when he became a coach, he trained exclusively Soviet clubs and even the national team of Ukraine. However, everything should be told in order. Jozsef Sabo is an outstanding personality in Soviet football, so you should know his biography.

Carier start

Jozsef Jozsefovich started his football career in the Ukrainian club "Chemist" from the city of Kalush - there he went to the football academy and played for the youth team, until he was at the age of 17 in 1957 as the basis. Jozsef Szabo, a promising midfielder, already had great hopes, so no one was surprised that he did not stay in such a small club for a long time. In 1957, he moved to Uzhgorod "Spartak", which promised him more impressive prospects. This is exactly how Josef Szabo left his first club in search of development in the football plan, and at the age of 17 moved to a foreign city. However, he was not destined to stay there for long - only two years played Szabo for "Spartacus." Already in 1959 the entire Soviet Union realized that it was not just another young talent, but a real genius. Naturally, this attracted the attention of the strongest clubs, and the 19-year-old Jozsef suddenly found himself in the center of attention when he made a loud transition to one of the strongest clubs - Kiev's Dynamo. It was there that it was a great success.

Speeches for the "Dynamo"

It's not a secret for anyone that the Dynamo Kyiv in its time was the strongest in the whole territory of the Soviet Union. That's why Jozsef Jozefovich Sabo, who only recently played for an unknown Uzhgorod "Spartak", was in an incredible position, having received an invitation from such a grandee. Naturally, he did not refuse, and from 1959 started his fruitful performances for the "Dynamo" - with his help for ten years the club won four league titles and two cups of the USSR. For ten years, spent in the "Dynamo", Jozsef Jozefovich Sabo played 245 matches, in which he scored 42 goals. However, at the end of his career, the 29-year-old midfielder no longer had a place in the base, so he decided to change club registration. So in 1970, Sabo was in Lugansk "Zarya".

Career Decline

Of course, from the age of players no one expected any incredible indicators, but Jozsef Sabo - a football player who can present surprises. In his only season for "Zarju" he became a key player of the club and helped him to achieve good results. However, fate called the player on, explore new horizons. He spent most of his career in Dynamo Kiev, and now he could try something new. Therefore, in 1971, the 31-year-old midfielder decided to move to the Dynamo, but this time it was no longer Kiev, but Moscow.

The last club

Jozsef Szabo, whose biography definitely does not end on his performances as a player, could still show good football. For two seasons he was one of the leading players in Moscow's Dynamo, but at 33, when his contract with the Moscow club came to an end, Jozsef Jozsefovich decided that his journey had come to an end. Sabo announced the end of his career, but he did not hurry to part with football.

National team appearances

Everyone knows that József Szabó is a coach with a lot of experience, but before considering his coaching activities in more detail, it is necessary to look at how he acted as a player not for clubs, but for the USSR national team. Unfortunately, József Szabó was only twenty years old when the USSR national team won the European Championships for the only time in its entire history. Sabo did not participate in that tournament, and the national team was called only five years later. As a result, he played for the USSR national team from 1965 to 1972. During this time, the midfielder in 20 years, together with the team took the fourth place in the World Championship, and also helped his team to take the third place at the 1972 Olympics - this was the last major tournament in which Szabo took part as a player. But the coaching career was not immediately started by Jozsef Szabo - the family was the most important for him, and five years after that Olympiad he spent away from football. This went to his advantage, he regained his strength and was ready for new challenges. Jozsef Sabo, whose wife herself insisted that he again take up his passion, decided to return to football in 1977.

The first coaching post

Szabo decided to get his first coaching experience at the club that he already knew, in the Luhansk "Zarya", for which he performed immediately after he had finished appearances in Kiev "Dynamo". Unfortunately, things did not immediately go as we would like, and his first season as coach Sabo did not have the best way - his club took only ninth place. This led to the fact that he limited himself to one year of leadership of this club.

Other Soviet clubs

Szabo did not abandon attempts to succeed - in 1978 he headed the Kiev "SKA", which was later renamed "CSKA", but at the moment ceased to exist, but there he failed to achieve serious success. Then the club played in the second division, but even his Sabo was able to raise only to third place. Then came the Dnipropetrovsk "Dnepr", where things began to improve, and Sabo even held on the coaching bridge, not one but two seasons. But as a result, the result was the same - performances far from desired and satisfactory. Moreover, with him, "Dnepr" first flew to the second division, and then nearly fell even lower. This series of failures led to the fact that Szabo for a long time left his attempts - he moved away from football for more than ten years.

Return to the world of football

However, in the early nineties it became clear to everyone that József Szabó did not want to just leave football. It was announced that he will lead the club, in which he spent almost his whole career - the Dynamo Kyiv. It was already not the Soviet Union, and the "Dynamo" was listed as a Ukrainian club. Sabo lived in Ukraine, so he decided to work here. He did not want to have connections with other clubs - only with the one that gave him a football career in his youth.

Multiple ascents to the bridge

It was extremely unexpected, but Szabo immediately began to show incredible results, which no one had seen from him before. In the season 93/94, when he was only appointed to the post, "Dynamo" immediately won the championship. This caused public unrest, he was immediately invited to coach the national team of Ukraine for the 1996 European Championships. But Sabo still decided that for now he should concentrate on working with the club. And it brought its results - under his leadership, "Dynamo" four years in a row became the champion of Ukraine, which brought Jozsef Jozsefovich quite wide fame. In 1996, when he still coached the Dynamo, he again received an invitation to the national team, which he accepted.

Coach of Ukraine

From 1996 to 1999, Jozsef Szabo was the coach of the national team of Ukraine and took it to the matches of two qualifying tournaments - to the 1998 World Championship and European Championship 2000. In both cases Ukraine ranked second in its groups. But in the first case in the play-offs Ukrainians lost to the Croats, and in the second case they were beaten by the Slovenes. However, even such results were incredibly outstanding for Ukraine, and this can be noted due to the fact that Szabo was among the top three coaches of the Ukrainian national team in history, behind only the legendary Blokhin and Lobanovsky.

Returning to Dynamo Kyiv

In 2004, Szabo returned to the post of head coach of Dynamo Kiev, but this time he failed to lead the team to success - she took the second place in the championship. But the people of Kiev did not leave without a trophy, having won the Cup of Ukraine - the second under Sabo (the first was in 1996). At the end of the season, Jozsef Jozefovich himself resigned - it is not known whether the unsatisfactory performances were the cause or not, but he himself referred to the state of health. In 2007, he attempted to return to the leadership of Dynamo Kiev, but in the process he had a heart attack, which is why he was taken to the hospital. The doctors managed to save Sabo's life, but he was strictly forbidden to continue the work of the football coach, since it is associated with too much stress, which his heart can not bear. So ended the sports career of Jozsef Jozefovich Szabo.

Life after

Naturally, Szabo could not leave his passion - he ceased to be a coach, but remained the vice-president of Kiev "Dynamo". Now he is trying as hard as possible to strain himself, but still continues to be active in football matters. It should also be noted that far not the best way Sabo behaved when he began to interfere with sports and politics. It's not a secret for anyone that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is very fresh, therefore, its theme emerges extremely often. Szabo also could not resist commenting on the fact that the Ukrainian talent Seleznev could move to one of the Russian clubs. Jozsef Sabo of Seleznev spoke as if he were a traitor and traitor to his homeland. Sabo advised Seleznev and all Ukrainian football players to stay in Ukrainian clubs and support their native football, and not to move to the camp of the enemy, the aggressor and the enemy. This statement was discussed for a very long time in the press. It caused, on the one hand, support, and the other - a serious discontent. In any case, you should never mix sports and politics, and in this case, Sabo still spoiled his reputation a little. Although he was always known for his impulsiveness, few were surprised when such a statement was heard from him. But this does not cancel the fact that it was incorrect and will remain so forever.