Both bullish and proud

Hungary have a proud football heritage, but in modern times they have struggled to keep up with the strongest nations. Their recent success at youth level suggests that may all change - and coach József Both is even comparing their UEFA European Under-17 Championship contenders to the famed 'Magical Magyars' of the 1950s.

Fine form
He has several reasons for confidence. In qualifying only Germany matched their Elite round record, as Hungary topped a group in Portugal by drawing 1-1 with the formidable hosts, then defeating Ukraine and Sweden 4-0. This continued their fine form from the qualifying round where Albania were beaten 5-1 and Cyprus and Scotland 2-0, with striker Krisztián Németh's total of nine goals throughout the preliminaries the highest total of any of the players in the finals in Luxembourg.

Best of both worlds
Indeed, Hungary will be in the U17 finals for the third time in five years - only Spain of the eight challengers have appeared in more. And Both, a successful club coach with the likes of Budapest Honvéd FC and MTK Hungária FC before joining the Hungarian Football Federation, and also an author of training textbooks, gives his squad the highest of accolades. "They are similar in a way to the Magical Magyars team," he told uefa.com. "We have also added the methods and styles of modern European football."

Perfect blend
He explained: "At the time of [Ferenc] Puskás, the Hungary team was full of talents, later stars, but they also had a very good team spirit. It is the same here. There is a harmony between all parts of the team but at the same time, we have special individuals. If things go well these colourful individuals do not weaken but strengthen each other. Homogenous but individual."

Long-term planning
Having taken over as national youth director in 2002, Both has ensured this crop of talent has been a long time in the making. "There is no secret weapon," he said. "We started a job four years ago with a certain philosophy and goal and I have seen a constant improvement since. I must say thank you to the clubs and coaches involved, especially MTK who give quite a few players to the squad."

Work to do
However, work goes on, and there are still tasks to complete before Hungary's finals campaign begins on 3 May against Russia, before further Group A fixtures with hosts Luxembourg and Spain. Both said: "I saw some problems with our play during the Elite round and we have to fill the holes. We'll have five days together before we travel to Luxembourg. Before that, the players will be involved in championship games so we won't have a real chance to train, although I will attend the club games and talk to the coaches."