Nicolae Kovács
Romanian-Hungarian footballer (1911–1977)
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Nicolae Kovács (Hungarian: Kovács Miklós, 29 December 1911 – 7 July 1977)[a][2] was a Romanian-Hungarian football player and coach. A forward, he was a dual international football player and played both for Romania and Hungary.[3] He played in 116 matches and scored 43 goals for Club Atletic Oradea.[4]
(now Mehadia, Romania)
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kovács Miklos/Nicolae Covaci | ||
| Date of birth | 29 December 1911 | ||
| Place of birth |
Plugova, Austria-Hungary (now Mehadia, Romania) | ||
| Date of death | 7 July 1977 (aged 65) | ||
| Place of death | Timișoara, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1924–1928 | Chinezul Timișoara | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1928–1930 | Banatul Timișoara | 43 | (20) |
| 1930–1931 | Ripensia Timișoara | 23 | (8) |
| 1931–1935 | CA Oradea | 51 | (15) |
| 1935 | Ripensia Timișoara | 14 | (4) |
| 1935–1936 | Valenciennes | 24 | (10) |
| 1936–1938 | CA Oradea | 39 | (15) |
| 1938–1940 | Tricolor Ploieşti | 21 | (8) |
| 1941–1942 | Nagyváradi AC | 26 | (13) |
| 1943–1945 | Gamma | 49 | (21) |
| 1945–1947 | Ferar Cluj | 44 | (23) |
| 1947 | Crișana Oradea | 21 | (5) |
| 1948 | Chinezul Timișoara | 14 | (11) |
| Total | 369 | (153) | |
| International career | |||
| 1929–1938[1] | Romania | 37 | (6) |
| 1941[1] | Hungary | 1 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1946–1947 | Universitatea Cluj | ||
| 1947 | Ferar Cluj | ||
| 1948–1949 | ICO Oradea | ||
| 1950–1953 | Politehnica Timișoara | ||
| 1953–1954 | CSM Mediaş | ||
| 1954 | Minerul Petroșani | ||
| 1957–1963 | Minerul Nădrag | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
For the Romania national team, he won 37 caps and participated in the 1930, 1934 and 1938 World Cups, being one of five players to have appeared in all three of the pre-war World Cups. The other players were Edmond Delfour, Étienne Mattler, Bernard Voorhoof and Rudolf Bürger, according to official FIFA match reports. He represented the Hungary national team once, in 1941, also scoring a goal in that game.[5][6]
He was the older brother of Ștefan Kovács, the famous coach who led Ajax to two European Cups in 1972 and 1973.[7]
Career statistics
Romania's goal tally first
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 September 1929 | Levski Field, Sofia, Bulgaria |  Bulgaria | 2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 2. | 14 July 1930 | Estadio Pocitos, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Peru | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1930 FIFA World Cup |
| 3. | 28 June 1931 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Yugoslavia |  Yugoslavia | 3–1 | 4–2 | 1929–31 Balkan Cup |
| 4. | 8 May 1932 | Stadionul ONEF, Bucharest, Romania |  Austria | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1932 Central European Cup |
| 5. | 3 July 1932 | Avala, Belgrade, Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1932 Balkan Cup |