Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – also in the capacity of founder of the Puskás Academy – offered his condolences in connection with the death of Amancio Amaro, former footballer for Real Madrid, Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s press chief informed the Hungarian news agency MTI on Wednesday.

In his message sent to President of the football club Real Madrid Florentino Pérez, Mr Orbán wrote: Hungarian football fans will always think with gratitude of the sincere respect and love with which Amancio Amaro spoke about his former team mate and fellow centre forward Ferenc Puskás. Mr Orbán expressed his conviction that Amaro’s greatness as a human being and amazing career can serve as an example for young people also today. During his stellar career he became champion nine times and La Liga’s top scorer twice, while he won not only the European Cup as Real Madrid’s world-class right winger, but also the European Championship with Spain. “He was a true gentleman, an ambassador of football whom we Hungarians could even forgive for defeating us in the semi-finals in the 1964 European Championship with his goal. We will preserve his memory with respect,” the Prime Minister wrote.