Corinthians in Hungary
B. O. Corbett | 30/12/1906

The Easter of 1904 is memorable in the history of the Corinthians. That's when we first went on a continental trip. On one occasion, in 1902, there was talk of us going to Austria and Germany, but the intervening made our plan. Oxford and Cambridge also visited these countries and Hungary, proving that football was a great development in these countries and that the visit to the two universities was of great interest. Thus, we were invited by the MAC to play three matches in Hungary and four in other countries of the continent.

We accepted the invitation and on the 30th of March, 14 people left under my leadership. G. O. Smith and Oakley left two days later. The task we would have undertaken would have been a big task for any representative team, so we took it seriously, and it is really gratifying that we were successful.

We arrived in Vienna after an uninterrupted trip. To our great pleasure, a reception committee of our Budapest hosts was already waiting for us here, which has traveled before us so far. It was a really nice thing from the Hungarians; however, it was only an introduction to the series of revenge revolutions we later experienced. Our Hungarian friends brought with them a special edition of the "National Sport", which greeted us in English. Arriving in Budapest, we were greeted by a huge crowd. Our apartment was as comfortable as possible, all of our windows looked out onto the Danube and we could fully see the castle and Buda, which is on a hillside. We saw a lot of beautiful things, but especially the panorama of the city and the parliament are unique. We also visited the MAC field where we had matches, which is not only a football field.The clubhouse is extremely comfortable and the equipment is luxurious.The field was in excellent condition.

In Hungary, football was introduced by Károly Iszer nine years ago. Mr. Ray and Yolland and his thriving athletic life helped him. The game became popular in one fell swoop and was very attractive to the crowd and, as an antidote to the atmosphere of the café, it became popular with young people. The first international match was played by the Hungarians against the Cricketers in 1897, and since then many clubs and associations have followed the example of the BTC. The MLS was founded about five years ago. In terms of league matches, the association has divided the teams into two classes, checks the players and has an extremely strict certification system against player seductions. Sport has not yet gone from a professional spirit, and it is far from possible to form a professional team. Among the football leaders we have to mention Friedrich Nándor as the one who owes the most successful tours and Alfréd Brüll, who also has a big part in the success of the game. Where there are as many good and passionate sportsmen as in Hungary, the game will have a bright future.

In the first match, our opponent was MTK. We have little to say about the game itself, considering we've won 6:0. Yet, even though the scales tipped so strongly in our favor, our opponents were playing at full power until the last minute and if good intentions and energy could have helped them, we would have been very hot. We had an official dinner with our opponents in the afternoon. The next day we had lunch at the MAC Margaret Island Clubhouse, and then the same evening we were guests of Alfred Brüll, whose hospitality we experienced many other times. At this lunch we also admired the art of a famous Hungarian gypsy. We played for the second time against BTC on April 4th. Our team was strengthened with G. O. Smith, who was in very good shape after the two-day trip and showed really beautiful things. S. H. Day played great and scored a goal that is rarely seen. Once or 6 yards in front of the opponent's goal, his back turned to the goal and he was in front of the ball. They were squeezed from both sides; however, he shot the back corner with such force that to his vivid amazement he only saw the goal he received when the judge whistled. We won this match 9:0. The next day, on cars we went to the royal palace in the castle, which is full of more interesting things. The landscape overlooking the Danube from the large terrace is one of the most beautiful we have ever seen. We played with the MAC team this afternoon, which made a great effort not to get out better than our previous victims. Fate wanted them to be disappointed; We won by 12:0. We finished all our matches 27:0. However, despite this huge achievement, our opponents have never given up the fight, but have fought the hardest from start to finish, which is encouraging for the development of this sport. That is why our captain said in an obsession with the city: 

— Because the Hungarians were ready to be defeated to learn from their more experienced opponent in football: I am convinced that if the Corinthians are lucky enough to visit Budapest again, they can prepare for tough fights!