Gyula Zsengellér
István Pluhár | Published by Stefan Pluhár in 1977

Gyula Zsengellér, Sal. BTC, UTE. — The big nose or Ábel is also unforgettable in Hungarian football. 

He came from Tarján to Újpest. Born in Cegléd, he was the intelligent child of a wealthy family. His brother, József, was executed by the new regime as a gendarmerie captain. This put Ábel in a difficult situation, but everything was arranged for his enormous talent. Gyula Zsengellér was needed. 

He was a cold-blooded, calm player. In the hottest situations, he played the ball in front of goal with a daring touch. His club-mate Misa Nagymarosi was a match for him. They did not like simple solutions on the pitch. Zsengellér played, rolled the ball, you couldn't take it away from him. He was a brilliant distributor and even in the 90th minute he sent his teammates storming towards the opponent's goal. You could see a lot of him in his own goal line, but the next minute he was able to score into the opponent's goal. There was a huge heart beating in that lean body. His lungs were so strong he could have played a whole afternoon. He was never tired, no one ever saw him sweat. 

He loved to play together with Nagymarosi. They were both ball players. Zsengellér was a pronounced two-footed player. He kicked from turn and catch with certainty and accuracy. He only touched the ball with his head if it fell to him by accident. He was a selfless team player, a sportsman of few words and a lover of all. 

He was allowed by MLS to leave for Italy for a year, but when his licence expired he asked for an extension, but it was not granted and he never returned. He played for many more years in Italy for leading teams and later became a coach, coaching in Greece with good success. Later, the play of his young club-mate János Göröcs brought the memory of Zsengellér's game back to Hungarian pitches.