Bertalan Bicskei

Bertalan Bicskei (17 September 1944 – 16 July 2011) was a Hungarian football goalkeeper and manager.

Playing career As a youth player, he played for the Hungarian club Ferencváros, and also for Budapest Honvéd and MTK Budapest, both Premier Division Hungarian sides. As a goalkeeper, he played many games for the Hungary youth national as well as the 13 and Hungary senior national team. After retiring as a player, he devoted time to coaching and teaching young football players at the highest level.

Managerial career From 1977 to 1982, Bicskei worked as the coaching director for the MTK Budapest's youth programme, and from 1982 to 1986 he was the Youth Coach Director for the Hungary national team. As one of his greatest achievements on that level, under his coaching and guidance, the Under-18 National Team of Hungary, captured the European Youth Championship in Moscow, in 1984. Before moving on to the senior level, Bicskei successfully completed the, work, and graduated at the world-renowned football academy in Cologne, Germany in 1986. He is one of just a few Hungarian-born coaches who was able to earn one of the most respected coaching diplomas in the world. While in Germany, he also studied philosophy, and learned to speak excellent German. In 1987–88 Bicskei become head coach of Honvéd Budapest, (that year, Honvéd won the National title and the Hungarian cup) and his professional career was off to a flying start. In 1989, he, was selected to coach the senior national team of Hungary. In 1991, he could not refuse a challenging offer from South Korea and he became a head coach of Daewoo Royals. Under his direction, the club won the 1991 national title and he…Citește mai mult

Death On 16 July 2011, Bicskei died in Budapest after a long battle with illness. He was 67 years old. The death of Bicskei was described as a loss to "a very important part of Hungarian football".