Award for Barcelona great

Former FC Barcelona forward and Spain coach Ladislao Kubala has been awarded a posthumous Order of Merit by world football's governing body FIFA.

Many honours
Kubala, voted the greatest player in Barcelona's history during their centenary in 1999, died in May at the age of 74. With Barcelona, he won four league titles, five Spanish Cups and two Fairs Cups before retiring in the 1961/62 season.

'Distinguished service'
FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter said the Hungarian-born player was given the award for "the distinguished service that he gave to football during his long career". Kubala played 329 times for Barcelona, scoring 256 goals in his ten years at the club.

Spain success
Kubala, who also played for Czechoslovakia and Hungary, made 19 appearances for Spain, scoring eleven goals for his adopted country. After a spell in charge at Barcelona, he went on to coach the Spanish national team for 68 games from 1969 to 1980, holding the post for longer than anyone before or since and finishing with a record of won 31, drawn 21 and lost 16.

Vast experience
His other coaching credits include Barcelona (again), RCD Espanyol, Real Murcia CF, Elche CF, Córdoba CF, Málaga CF and spells in Switzerland, Canada, Paraguay and Saudi Arabia.