Miklós Fehér
Hungarian footballer (1979–2004)
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Miklós "Miki" Fehér (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈmikloːʃ ˈfɛheːr]; 20 July 1979 – 25 January 2004) was a Hungarian professional footballer who played as a striker.
|
Fehér with Benfica in 2003 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Miklós Fehér[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 July 1979[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Tatabánya, Hungary | ||
| Date of death | 25 January 2004 (aged 24) | ||
| Place of death | Guimarães, Portugal | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Győri ETO | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1998 | Győri ETO | 62 | (23) |
| 1998–2002 | Porto | 10 | (1) |
| 1999–2002 | Porto B | 7 | (2) |
| 2000 | → Salgueiros (loan) | 14 | (5) |
| 2000–2001 | → Braga (loan) | 26 | (14) |
| 2002–2004 | Benfica | 30 | (7) |
| Total | 149 | (52) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–1997 | Hungary U18 | 8 | (2) |
| 1996–2000 | Hungary U21 | 5 | (1) |
| 1998–2003 | Hungary | 25 | (7) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Fehér spent most of his nine-year career in Portugal, representing four clubs and amassing Primeira Liga totals of 80 games and 27 goals. On 25 January 2004, he died of a cardiac arrest during a match between Vitória de Guimarães and his team Benfica in Guimarães.[2][3]
Fehér represented the Hungary national team at international level, making his debut in 1998 at the age of 19.
Club career
Born in Tatabánya, Fehér started his playing career at Győri ETO, where he was spotted by Porto scouts. He was signed in 1998 but never really made a breakthrough onto the first team, being loaned to gain experience from ages 20 to 21 to another two northern sides, Salgueiros and Braga.
At Braga, Fehér had his best professional season, scoring 14 Primeira Liga goals in 26 games in 2000–01. After Porto chairman Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa quarrelled with his agent José Veiga, the player refused to part with the latter and left, joining Lisbon side Benfica and going on to net eight official goals over two seasons.[4]
Death and legacy
On 25 January 2004, Fehér was in Guimarães with Benfica to play against Vitória de Guimarães. The game was being broadcast live on television, and Benfica were leading 1–0. Fehér had just come on as a substitute and assisted another player just off the bench, Fernando Aguiar, for the match's only goal, but received a yellow card in injury time and suddenly bent forward, seemingly in pain; he then fell backwards to the ground.
Members of both teams rushed immediately to aid Fehér before medical personnel arrived on the pitch. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed, an ambulance arrived on the pitch and he was rushed to the hospital. His condition was covered by the Portuguese media throughout the day and, before midnight, his death was confirmed, the cause of death being cardiac arrhythmia brought on by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.[5] In his memory, Benfica retired the number 29 shirt, which he wore during his time at the club.[6] He was remembered by many and his death caused a profound shock in Portuguese sports. Among others, Porto director of football Reinaldo Teles and manager José Mourinho paid their respects at the Estádio da Luz, where the player's body remained before his burial in his native Hungary.
Benfica's delegation, which included president Luís Filipe Vieira, coach Giovanni Trapattoni and the entire first-team squad, travelled to Hungary, presenting Fehér's parents with the 2004–05 league championship medal, in respect for the player and his time with the club.[7] They had previously dedicated the 2003–04 Taça de Portugal trophy to him.[6]
On 9 October 2009, the day before their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Portugal in Lisbon, the Hungary national team squad laid a wreath next to a metal bust of Fehér at Benfica's homeground, in tribute to his memory.[8] Before a UEFA Europa Conference League game at the ground where he died, Hungarian club Puskás Akadémia FC paid tribute to him on 20 July 2022, which would have been Fehér's 43rd birthday.
He was only 24 years old when he died.[9]
International career
Fehér earned his first cap for the Hungary national team on 10 October 1998, in a UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying match against Azerbaijan. He came on as a sixth-minute substitute for Ferenc Horváth at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku, and scored the final goal of the 4–0 win.
On 11 October 2000, Fehér netted a hat-trick in a 6–1 away rout of Lithuania for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[10] In total, he scored seven goals in 25 appearances for the national team.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Győri ETO | 1995–96 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 8 | 2 | — | — | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1996–97 | 29 | 8 | — | — | 29 | 8 | ||||
| 1997–98 | 25 | 13 | — | — | 25 | 13 | ||||
| Total | 62 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 23 | ||||
| Porto | 1998–99 | Primeira Liga | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| Total | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| Porto B | 1999–2000 | Segunda Divisão | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 |
| 2001–02 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||
| Total | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | ||
| Salgueiros (loan) | 1999–2000 | Primeira Liga | 14 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 6 |
| Braga (loan) | 2000–01 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 14 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 14 |
| Benfica | 2002–03 | Primeira Liga | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 4 |
| 2003–04 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 4 | ||
| Total | 30 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 37 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 149 | 52 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 164 | 54 | ||
International
- Scores and results list Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fehér goal.[13]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 October 1998 | Tofiq Bahramov, Baku, Azerbaijan |  Azerbaijan | 4–0 | 4–0 | Euro 2000 qualifying |
| 2 | 11 October 2000 | Darius and Girėnas, Kaunas, Lithuania |  Lithuania | 2–0 | 6–1 | 2002 World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 3–0 | |||||
| 4 | 5–1 | |||||
| 5 | 15 November 2000 | Gradski Stadium, Skopje, Macedonia |  Macedonia | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 17 April 2002 | Oláh Gábor Út, Debrecen, Hungary |  Belarus | 2–5 | 2–5 | Friendly |
| 7 | 20 August 2003 | Fazanerija, Murska Sobota, Slovenia |  Slovenia | 1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
