József Zakariás

József Zakariás (25 March 1924 – 22 November 1971) was a Hungarian footballer and manager. During the 1950s, he was a member of the legendary Hungary team known as the Mighty Magyars. Other members of the team included Nándor Hidegkuti, Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis and József Bozsik.

MTK Hungária FC

Zakariás was born and died in Budapest and spent the peak of his career at MTK Hungária FC. However while he was with the club they were known as Bástya SE and then Vörös Lobogó SE. Under coach Márton Bukovi and with a team that also included Nándor Hidegkuti, Péter Palotás and Mihály Lantos, Zakariás helped MTK win two Nemzeti Bajnokság I titles, a Magyar Kupa and a Mitropa Cup.

Hungarian International

Between 1947 and 1954, Zakariás won 35 caps for Hungary. As one of the legendary Mighty Magyars, he helped Hungary become Olympic Champions in 1952, Central European Champions in 1953 and defeated England twice. He then helped Hungary reach the 1954 World Cup final. During the World Cup finals he played in four of the five games Hungary played in. He allegedly broke a curfew before the final, spending the previous night with a hotel maid. Zakariás never played for Hungary again.

Honours

Hungary Olympic Champions 1952 Central European Champions 1953 World Cup Runner-up: 1954

MTK/Bástya/Vörös Lobogó

Hungarian Champions: 2 1953, 1958 Magyar Kupa: 1 1952 Mitropa Cup: 1 1955