According to the Prime Minister, Hungary has milked a very important debt.
On the day of Hungarian football, the museum named after Ferenc Puskás, the most popular Hungarian of all time, was opened in the tower building of the former Népstadion, which is part of the Puskás Arena.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Emilio Butragueno, the international director of Real Madrid, also spoke at the opening of the museum commemorating the Golden Team.
"The fifth anniversary of the opening of the Puskás Arena was recently marked, and Monday, November 25, is Hungarian football day, i.e. the anniversary of the 6:3 in London, and on this day Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will open the Puskás Museum in Budapest, in the so-called Tower Building of the former Népstadion. The concept of the museum was created by history professor Mária Schmidt, dozens of experts participated in the creation," said György Szöllősi, the official ambassador of the Puskás heritage and editor-in-chief of the National Sport, before the opening.
The opening ceremony began with the anthems of Hungary and Real Madrid, and then Mária Schmidt, director general of the House of Terror Museum and chief curator of the Puskás Museum, gave a speech:
"Every moment of Ferenc Puskás' life is well documented, but we all feel that the secret does not lie in them. His human quality is also exemplary, because he represents what we Hungarians are proud of. Patriotism, friendship, chivalry, but we know these too. So what's the secret? Perhaps it is that every Hungarian has some Puskás. That is why we wanted to present it in such a way that we could also see Hungary through it.
Because when the world says Puskás, they answer it with Hungary."
In his greeting, Sándor Csányi praised not only Ferenc Puskás, but also the entire Golden Team:
"The Golden Team was named after the national team's György Szepesi, after defeating the Italians in 1953, at the opening of the Roman stadium. At that time, the team was made up of classics, almost all of whom deserve a museum. And Ferenc Puskás became the iconic figure not only of Hungarian football, but also of world football. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the creation of this museum. I think it will serve the purpose of preserving the worthy moments of Hungarian football, which can be an incentive for the younger generations as well," emphasized the president of the Hungarian Football Association.
Emilio Butrageno, the international director of Real Madrid, also thanked:
"It is an honor for me to be here today at the opening ceremony of the Puskás Museum. On behalf of the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, and the entire community of our football club, I would like to express our grateful thanks for being here at this very special and touching event. At Real Madrid, we have immense respect and admiration for the legendary personalities who have created the myths and legends surrounding our club throughout our 122-year history," began Butrageno.
"It is clear that Ferenc Puskás was one of the most outstanding figures of Real Madrid. He was part of the mythical and legendary team that, together with Alfredo Di Stéfano and Paco Gento, under the leadership of our beloved president, Santiago Bernabéu, forever changed the history of Real Madrid and world football.
The Real Madrid community remembers Ferenc Puskás not only as a footballer who achieved extraordinary results wearing the club's crest and shirt, but also because he represented values that won the hearts of all Madridistas. Values such as hard work, self-sacrifice, team spirit, respect, camaraderie and humility, which are also extremely important for Real Madrid. Therefore, the entire community of Real Madrid is particularly proud of the opening of this museum, which also serves to convey the aforementioned values.
The relationship between Ferenc Puskás and Real Madrid is eternal"
Butrageno emphasized.
The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, congratulated the museum in a video message, and the president of UEFA, Aksander Ceferin, sent a message highlighting Puskás' uniqueness.
After that, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave a speech, and together with Mária Schmidt, Sándor Csányi and Emilio Butrageno, they signed a ball, which became the symbol of the official opening of the museum.
Viktor Orbán first spoke about the reconstruction of Hungarian football since 2010, and then emphasized that the reconstruction of the old Népstadion was completed with this museum, and Hungary paid off an important debt.
"The embodiment of Hungarian football culture is the Golden Team and Ferenc Puskás, who has become synonymous with the goal. As Zoltán Czibor said in György Szöllősi's book, and the quote can also be read in the museum: if Öcsi kicked the ball once, it resulted in two goals. We promised him that we would rebuild Hungarian football. With the establishment of the Puskás Museum, we also fulfilled the task of establishing a worthy memorial in Budapest."
Hungary thus fulfilled its old and painful debt. The Puskás Museum is a success story that I hereby open."
Cover image: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gives a speech at the opening of the Puskás Museum, established in the tower building of the Puskás Arena, on November 25, 2024.
Source: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd
