Bertalan Bicskei

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

Active career

As a youth player, he played for the most famous Hungarian club side, Ferencvaros, and he also honed his skills in Honved and MTK Budapest, both Premier Division Hungarian sides. As a goalkeeper of great talent, he played many games for the National Youth Team of Hungary, as well as the 13 and A senior National teams. After his playing days were over, he devoted much of his time to coaching and teaching young soccer players on the highest level.

Team manager

From 1977 to 1982, he 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 Hungarian national football 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 soccer 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.^{[citation needed]} While in Germany, he also studied philosophy, and learned to speak excellent German.

In 1987/88 Bicskei become head coach of Honved Budapest, (that year, Honved 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 was voted, Manager of the year in South Korea. From 1992 to 1994 he coached club FC Luzern^[1] in Switzerland. In the 1995/96 he returned home briefly to coach MTK Budapest.

Bicskei packed his suitcase again in 1995, this time to Saudi Arabia where he coached the Al-Riyadh club in the 1995/96 seasons. During his stay in Saudi Arabia, he started working on his book, "Preparation of Young Footballs", a soccer achievement that not only complements, but also challenges everything that was written thus far on teaching young soccer players to achieve the highest level. After returning home, he coached Honved Budapest once again, 1996/97 seasons, and he was technical director at RABA ETO Gyor in the 1998/99 seasons.

Between 1998 and 2001 he served his second stint as the national coach of Hungary,^[2] later becoming the technical director of the Hungarian Football Federation between 2006 and mid-2008.

In the second half of 2004, the Football Association of Malaysia selected Bertalan Bicskei, to succeed Allan Harris. Bicskei led the national side to third place at the regional Tiger Cup competition, but was demoted to youth development duties by FAM for his actions during a friendly against Singapore in Penang on 8 June 2005. Bicskei, disgusted by the standard of officiating, threw a bottle onto the pitch before confronting a Singapore player. In September 2005 the contract was terminated after mutual agreement.

Bicksei was given the job of Liberia's national coach in July 2010 on a four-year contract, but had to take a leave of absence in February 2011 after being poisoned in Liberia.^[3]

He has an adopted son called Wilson.

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".^[4]

References