Miklós Fehér Explained

Miklós Fehér
Full Name:Miklós Fehér[1]
Birth Date:20 July 1979
Birth Place:Tatabánya, Hungary
Death Place:Guimarães, Portugal
Height:1.85 m
Position:Striker
Youthclubs1:Győri ETO
Years1:1995–1998
Caps1:62
Goals1:23
Years2:1998–2002
Caps2:10
Goals2:1
Years3:1999–2002
Caps3:7
Goals3:2
Years4:2000
Clubs4:Salgueiros (loan)
Caps4:14
Goals4:5
Years5:2000–2001
Clubs5:Braga (loan)
Caps5:26
Goals5:14
Years6:2002–2004
Caps6:30
Goals6:7
Totalcaps:149
Totalgoals:52
Nationalyears1:1996–1997
Nationalteam1:Hungary U18
Nationalcaps1:8
Nationalgoals1:2
Nationalyears2:1996–2000
Nationalcaps2:5
Nationalgoals2:1
Nationalyears3:1998–2003
Nationalcaps3:25
Nationalgoals3:7

Miklós "Miki" Fehér (in Hungarian pronounced as /ˈmikloːʃ ˈfɛheːr/; 20 July 1979 – 25 January 2004) was a Hungarian professional footballer who played as a striker.

He spent most of his nine-year career in Portugal, representing four clubs and amassing Primeira Liga totals of 80 games and 27 goals. On 25 January 2004, he died of a cardiac arrest during a match between Vitória de Guimarães and his team Benfica in Guimarães.[2] [3]

Fehér represented Hungary national team at international level, making his debut in 1998 at the age of 19.

Club career

Born in Tatabánya, Fehér started his playing career at Győri ETO, where he was spotted by Porto scouts. He was signed in 1998 but never really made a breakthrough onto the first team, being loaned to gain experience from ages 20 to 21 to another two northern sides, Salgueiros and Braga.

At Braga, Fehér had his best professional season, scoring 14 Primeira Liga goals in 26 games in 2000–01. After Porto chairman Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa quarrelled with his agent José Veiga, the player refused to part with the latter and left, joining Lisbon side Benfica and going on to net eight official goals over two seasons.[4]

Death and legacy

On 25 January 2004, Fehér was in Guimarães with Benfica to play against Vitória de Guimarães. The game was being broadcast live on television, and Benfica were leading 1–0. Fehér had just come on as a substitute and assisted another player just off the bench, Fernando Aguiar, for the match's only goal, but received a yellow card in injury time and suddenly bent forward, seemingly in pain; he then fell backwards to the ground.

Members of both teams rushed immediately to aid Fehér before medical personnel arrived on the pitch. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed, an ambulance arrived on the pitch and he was rushed to the hospital. His condition was covered by the Portuguese media throughout the day and, before midnight, his death was confirmed, the cause of death being cardiac arrhythmia brought on by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.[5] In his memory, Benfica retired the number 29 shirt, which he wore during his time at the club.[6] He was remembered by many and his death caused a profound shock in Portuguese sports. Among others, Porto director of football Reinaldo Teles and manager José Mourinho paid their respects at the Estádio da Luz, where the player's body remained before his burial in his native Hungary.

Benfica's delegation, which included president Luís Filipe Vieira, coach Giovanni Trapattoni and the entire first-team squad, travelled to Hungary, presenting Fehér's parents with the 2004–05 league championship medal, in respect for the player and his time with the club.[7] They had previously dedicated the 2003–04 Taça de Portugal trophy to him.[6]

On 9 October 2009, the day before their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Portugal in Lisbon, the Hungary national team squad laid a wreath next to a metal bust of Fehér at Benfica's homeground, in tribute to his memory.[8] Before a UEFA Europa Conference League game at the ground where he died, Hungarian club Puskás Akadémia FC paid tribute to him on 20 July 2022, which would have been his 43rd birthday.[9]

International career

Fehér earned his first cap for the Hungary national team on 10 October 1998, in a UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying match against Azerbaijan. He came on as a sixth-minute substitute for Ferenc Horváth at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku, and scored the final goal of the 4–0 win.

On 11 October 2000, Fehér netted a hat-trick in a 6–1 away rout of Lithuania for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[10] In total, he scored seven goals in 25 appearances.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[11]
ClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Győri ETO1995–96Nemzeti Bajnokság I8282
1996–97298298
1997–9825132513
Total6223006223
Porto1998–99Primeira Liga50201080
1999–200051102081
Total1013030161
Porto B1999–2000Segunda Divisão4141
2001–023131
Total72000072
Salgueiros (loan)1999–2000Primeira Liga14521166
Braga (loan)2000–01Primeira Liga26142614
Benfica2002–03Primeira Liga17410184
2003–041332041194
Total3073041378
Career total14952817116454

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[12]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Hungary199831
199950
200044
200130
200271
200331
Total257

Scores and results list Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fehér goal.[12]

List of international goals scored by Miklós Fehér
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 10 October 1998 Tofiq Bahramov, Baku, Azerbaijan 4–0 4–0 Euro 2000 qualifying
2 11 October 2000 Darius and Girėnas, Kaunas, Lithuania 2–0 6–1 2002 World Cup qualification
3 3–0
4 5–1
5 15 November 2000 Gradski Stadium, Skopje, Macedonia 1–0 1–0 Friendly
6 17 April 2002 Oláh Gábor Út, Debrecen, Hungary 2–5 2–5 Friendly
7 20 August 2003 Fazanerija, Murska Sobota, Slovenia 1–2 1–2 Friendly

Honours

Porto

Benfica

Individual

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Miklós Fehér. Eurosport. 17 April 2020.
  2. News: Benfica's Miklós Fehér dies after heart attack on pitch. The Guardian. Ashdown. John. 26 January 2004. 16 September 2008.
  3. Web site: Miklos Feher: Football remembers. https://web.archive.org/web/20141006172810/http://www.fifa.com/world-match-centre/news/newsid/226/508/0/. dead. 6 October 2014. FIFA. 25 January 2014. 6 March 2016.
  4. News: Benfica pagou ao FC Porto por Fehér 12 anos depois. Benfica paid FC Porto for Fehér 12 years later. Diário de Notícias. Ruela. João. pt. 1 March 2014. 22 October 2018.
  5. Web site: Fehér death stuns football. UEFA. 26 January 2004. 3 May 2010.
  6. Web site: Miklos Fehér partiu há 11 anos. Miklos Fehér departed 11 years ago. S.L. Benfica. pt. 25 January 2015. 25 January 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150128024658/http://www.slbenfica.pt/noticias/detalhedenoticia/tabid/2788/ArticleId/40331/language/pt-PT/Miklos-Feher-partiu-ha-11-anos.aspx. 28 January 2015.
  7. Web site: Benfica trip a tribute to Fehér. UEFA. 31 May 2005. 4 November 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090516205018/http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind%3D2/newsid%3D306009.html. 16 May 2009.
  8. Web site: Hungary squad honours late striker Feher. Reuters. Laxmidas. Shrikesh. 9 October 2009. 29 August 2019.
  9. Web site: Puskás Akadémia homenageia Miklos Fehér em Guimarães. Puskás Akadémia pay tribute to Miklos Fehér in Guimarães. Mais Futebol. pt. 20 July 2022. 21 July 2022.
  10. News: "Minhoto" Fehér marca três pela Hungria em goleada na Lituânia. "Minho"'s Fehér scores three for Hungary in rout in Lithuania. Record. pt. 12 October 2000. 25 January 2013.
  11. Web site: Miklos Fehér. Footballdatabase. 19 February 2015.
  12. Web site: Fehér Miklós. European Football. 30 April 2015.
  13. News: Benfica vence Taça de Portugal (2–1). Benfica win Portuguese Cup (2–1). Público. pt. 16 May 2004. 29 August 2019.