Panathinaikos FC 1971 Retro Football Jacket

Few could match the playing pedigree of the great Ferenc Puskás who starred with such distinction in the 1950s and 60s for Honved, Hungary and Real Madrid. Upon retirement in 1966 he launched himself into a new career in management, but nondescript spells and Spain and the United States did not mark him out as a managerial star in the making.

That all changed when he took charge of Panathinaikos in 1970. His debut season proved miraculous as he took his new charges from the amateur backwaters of the European game all the way to the European Cup Final where they would lose out to the mighty Ajax of Michels and Cruyff.

Puskás might have fallen short in delivering Europe's greatest prize, but he did deliver new confidence and self-belief into the Greek mindset that their country's football could compete with bigger and wealthier Leagues. The Hungarian stayed at the club for 4 years and delivered them a national title in 1972.