# Gyula Zsengellér

Gyula Zsengellér (27 December 1915 – 29 March 1999) was a Hungarian footballer who played as a striker. A legend of Újpest FC, he is most famous for his part in taking the Hungary national team to the 1938 World Cup Final. He was that tournament's second-highest scorer, behind Leonidas of Brazil.
His first international cap came on 2 December 1936, when Hungary lost 6–2 to England. In total, he gained 39 caps for his country, scoring 33 goals. This makes him the eighth-highest goalscorer of all-time for the Hungary national side.
Zsengellér also played 325 games in the Hungarian league and scored 387 goals between 1935 and 1947, making him the third-highest goalscorer of all-time in the Hungarian league. He began his career at Salgótarjáni TC, then moving to Újpest FC in 1936. Zsengellér spent 11 years serving Újpest, when in 1947 he joined Italian side A.S. Roma. In the 1949–50 season Zsengellér played for Ancona and he finished his career playing for Colombian Deportivo Samarios between 1951 and 1952.
He was the Hungarian league's top-scorer in five seasons: 1938, 1939, 1943, 1944 and in the spring season of 1945. He was Europe's top goalscorer in 1939 and 1945. He was also the top scorer of the 1939 Mitropa Cup (9 goals).
After his retirement, Zsengellér started a long and successful managerial career, working mainly in Italy and Cyprus. He won the Cypriot First Division with Pezoporikos Larnaca in 1954 and the Cypriot Cup with APOEL FC in 1976. He died in 1999 aged 83.
IFFHS named Zsengellér the 7th most successful Top Division Goal Scorer of all time.

## Career statistics

| Club performance | Club performance | Club performance | League | League | Cup | Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Continental | Continental | Total | Total |
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Hungary | Hungary | Hungary | League | League | Hungarian Cup | Hungarian Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Europe | Europe | Total | Total |
| 1935–36 | Salgótarjáni BTC | National Championship I | 24 | 19 | | | | | | | | |
| 1936–37 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 24 | 35 | | | | | | | | |
| 1937–38 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 25 | 31 | | | | | | | | |
| 1938–39 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 26 | 56 | | | | | | | | |
| 1939–40 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 12 | 11 | | | | | | | | |
| 1940–41 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 26 | 28 | | | | | | | | |
| 1941–42 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 28 | 27 | | | | | | | | |
| 1942–43 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 30 | 26 | | | | | | | | |
| 1943–44 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 29 | 33 | | | | | | | | |
| 1944 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 9 | 12 | | | | | | | | |
| 1945 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 21 | 36 | | | | | | | | |
| 1945–46 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 35 | 51 | | | | | | | | |
| 1946–47 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 29 | 18 | | | | | | | | |
| 1947–48 | Újpest Budapest | National Championship I | 7 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Total | Hungary | Hungary | 325 | 387 | | | | | | | | |
| 1948–49 | AS Roma | Serie A | 28 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| 1949–50 | AS Roma | Serie A | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Total | Italy | Italy | 34 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| 1951 | Deportivo Samarios | Categoría Primera A | 19 | 13 | | | | | | | | |
| 1952 | Deportivo Samarios | Categoría Primera A | 18 | 10 | | | | | | | | |
| Total | Colombia | Colombia | 37 | 23 | | | | | | | | |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 396 | 416 | | | | | | | | |

## Honours
### Újpest

* Nemzeti Bajnokság I: 1938-39, 1945, 1945-46, 1946-47
* Mitropa Cup: 1939

### Hungary

* Balkan Cup: 1947
* 1938 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up