Magyar Posta is issuing a thematic personalised stamp to mark the centenary of the birth of József Bozsik. Twelve thousand two hundred and fifty copies of the stamp with a label designed by the graphic artist Imre Benedek were produced. The new issue may be purchased at Filaposta, philately specialist services and www.posta.hu while stocks last. József Bozsik (1925–1978) was an Olympic champion footballer, the legendary right half of the Golden Team, and a former captain of the Hungarian national team. He grew up in the working-class district of Kispest, where his childhood friend and playmate was Ferenc Puskás. At the age of eleven, he joined Kispesti AC and made his debut in the top flight in 1943. His club, where he spent his entire career, later became affiliated with the army and was renamed Budapesti Honvéd. As five-time Hungarian champions, Honvéd was one of the strongest teams in the world in the 1950s. Bozsik’s play was characterised by his impeccable technical skills, inexhaustible creativity, tactical maturity, and impressive ease and control, in short he was a true ”football genius”. In his prime, he was considered the world’s best attacking wing-half. He won a gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, was a European Cup winner in 1953, and played in the 6-3 victory over England in London, where he also scored a goal. In 1954, he won a runners-up medal at the World Cup with the Hungarian team. He took part in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden and won the Central European Cup with Honvéd in 1959. He was the first player to make 100 appearances for the national team, being capped a total of 101 times. When his playing career ended, he became the head of Honvéd’s football unit, then its coach, and in 1974 he also worked as the coach of the national team. He died in 1978 at the age of 52. In 1986, the Budapest Honvéd stadium was named after him, and several schools and football academies also bear his name. He was posthumously made an honorary citizen of Kispest and Budapest, and in 2013 his legacy was honoured on the anniversary of the 6-3 victory. His son, Péter Bozsik, also continued his tradition when he became the national team coach, making them the first father and son to hold this position in Hungarian football history. (Source: wikipedia.hu) The main element on the thematic stamp with a label and the commemorative first day cover issued in honour of József Bozsik is the outstanding football player himself: his portrait appears on the stamp label, while a scene showing him in action appears on the cover. The commemorative postmark features a stylised drawing of his characteristic number 5 jersey.