Former Sporting goalkeeper Ferenc Mészáros dies aged 72

Hungarian Ferenc Mészáros, a former Sporting goalkeeper who also played for Farense and Vitória de Setúbal, died today at the age of 72, informed the Alvalade emblem on its official website.

“Sporting Clube de Portugal expresses its condolences for the death of Ferenc Mészáros, who died this Monday at the age of 72. Sporting sends its deepest condolences to his family and friends, while praising and thanking them for their years of dedication and devotion to the club”, reads the note published by the ‘lions’.

Mészáros represented Sporting between 1981 and 1983, during which time he won a national championship, a Portuguese Cup and a Super Cup.

After finishing his career, the former Hungarian international returned to Alvalade in 1995/96 to take up the position of goalkeeping coach in the technical team led by Carlos Queiroz.

In Portugal, Mészáros also represented Farense (1983/84) and Vitória de Setúbal (1986 to 1989), a club in which he ‘hanged his gloves’ at the age of 39.

The Budapest-born goalkeeper was capped 29 times by Hungary and was in the final stages of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina and the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

The cause of his death was not disclosed.