Biography
Who is Yozhef Sabo?
Early life and background
Yozhef Sabo was born in Uzhhorod, Hungary, on February 29, 1940. He grew up with a Hungarian background and was baptized as a Greek Catholic. During his youth, his father served in the Royal Hungarian Army during the Second World War and was later sent to Siberia. His father returned from imprisonment in 1948 and passed away a few years later in 1951.
After moving to Kyiv, Yozhef Sabo started studying the Russian language with a tutor and attended an underground Greek Catholic service in Sviatoshyn. He declined an offer to join the Communist Party because he could not remain religious while being a communist.
Playing career
Yozhef Sabo began playing football in 1954 for a team representing the Uzhhorod bread factory, where his first coach was Zoltan Gyorfi. He later played as a forward for Khimik Kalush and Spartak Uzhhorod before joining Dynamo Kyiv in June 1959. With Dynamo Kyiv, he became a four-time Soviet Top League champion and appeared in 317 games, scoring 51 goals.
In addition to his club success, Yozhef Sabo played for the Soviet Union national association football team. He earned 76 caps for the national side, scoring 16 goals across official matches and friendlies. He was also part of the 1962 FIFA World Cup roster and later became the last surviving member of that specific squad.
Coaching career
Following his playing days, Yozhef Sabo transitioned into coaching. He managed various teams, including Zorya Luhansk in 1977 and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk between 1978 and 1979. He also returned to coach Dynamo Kyiv numerous times across different decades, specifically from 1993 to 1997 and again from 2004 to 2005.
Yozhef Sabo also served as the coach of the Ukraine national team during the nineteen nineties. During his tenure with the national side, he compiled 16 wins and 12 draws across 34 matches. He later returned to manage Dynamo Kyiv in September 2007, but he resigned in early November of that year due to health problems.
Personal life and health
Yozhef Sabo lives with his wife in a house near the Verecke Pass in the Carpathians. In late 2007, he suffered a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. Although doctors saved his life, he was advised to stop working due to a weak heart.
Throughout his life, Yozhef Sabo experienced several well-known events outside of sports, including being offered a chance to remain in Munich by Bayern goalkeeper Arpad Fazekas in 1960. He also worked briefly as a sports correspondent for the newspaper Pravda Ukrainy in 1970.
Birthday and age
Yozhef Sabo was born on February 29, 1940, which makes Yozhef 86 years old today. That birthday falls under the Pisces sign. Yozhef shares the date with 16 other famous people.
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