Béla Guttmann: the wandering master

Béla Guttmann's story began in Hungary, where he emerged from the same rich footballing culture that would later produce the Mighty Magyars. He lived through the horrors of the Second World War, surviving persecution that claimed millions, and carried that experience into a coaching career defined by restlessness. He moved from club to club and country to country, rarely staying long, a nomad who believed a manager should never linger once his work was done. Few figures in the game led such a turbulent, well-travelled life.

Wherever he went, Guttmann preached attacking football. He distrusted defensive caution and insisted his teams entertain, favouring bold, forward play at a time when many coaches prioritised safety. He was also a sharp man-manager and a shrewd judge of talent, able to build exciting sides quickly and get the best from gifted players. His ideas influenced a generation of coaches, and his belief that football was meant to thrill, not merely to win, set him apart from more conservative contemporaries.

Guttmann's greatest triumphs came at Benfica, whom he led to back-to-back European Cups in 1961 and 1962. He broke the grip of the dominant powers of the era and built a thrilling team around the young Eusébio, whose talent he helped bring to the world stage. For a brief, brilliant period, Benfica were the finest team in Europe, playing the adventurous football their manager demanded, and Guttmann stood at the very summit of the club game.

According to the famous legend, when Benfica refused Guttmann a pay rise after his second European triumph, he departed declaring that the club would not win another European Cup for a hundred years. In the decades since, Benfica have reached several European finals and lost them all, and many supporters still speak of the Guttmann curse. Whether one believes in it or not, the tale has become inseparable from his name, a strange and enduring postscript to the career of one of football's great wanderers.