Ferenc Puskas, was he all that?
We only ask because it has recently come to our attention that the Hungarian legend once benefited from the softest penalty of all time.
Cast your minds back to the 1960 European Cup; we’re sure you remember it well…
134,000 Scotsmen packed themselves into Hampden Park to get glimpse of Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano as the mighty Real Madrid faced off against Eintracht Frankfurt.
And they were not disappointed.
Di Stefano bagged a hat-trick while Puskas went one better with a poker as Los Blancos beat their German counterparts 7-3.
But look at the state of this penalty call…
No, you haven’t missed anything, that was the whole incident.
The referee blew his whistle and, after a quick chat with his assistant, gladly pointed to the spot…
And Puskas tucked it away.
Despite a tremendous effort from the keeper…
There are so many reasons it should not have been a penalty.
Firstly, Hans Weilbacher barely touches Francisco Gento, it’s minimal shoulder-to-shoulder.
Gento doesn’t even hit the deck.
Secondly, Gento failed to control the throughball and so for him to have had a chance of retrieving it, he would have had to change his running line.
Weilbacher was simply covering the run.
Did the ref expect the German to simply step out the way and simply allow his opponent through?
Thirdly, and most importantly, the contact was OUTSIDE THE BOX!
At worst, it should have been a soft free-kick.
Everyone bangs on about how much referees let go in the olden days, describing every game like a warzone.
But if the 1960 European Cup final is anything to go by, breathing on an opponent was viewed as a cardinal sin.
Don’t get us wrong, modern football features plenty of soft penos…
But nothing will beat Real Madrid’s ghost penalty of 1960.
In a European Cup final as well… if only VAR had existed, eh? No? Fine…
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