Ferenc Puskás vs Predrag Mijatović: Stats Compared
Forward, Hungary (born 1927, retired 1966) · Striker, Yugoslavia (born 1969, retired 2004)
Few debates split football fans quite like Ferenc Puskás versus Predrag Mijatović. Long after the final whistle, what lingers is influence, and each man reshaped his corner of the game. Across his senior career Ferenc Puskás notched 598 goals in 621 appearances (0.96 per game), while Predrag Mijatović recorded 210 in 500 (0.42 per game). Modern assist data only covers part of their careers, so creativity is hard to compare cleanly — Ferenc Puskás is listed at 0 and Predrag Mijatović at 30 where figures survive. The honours ledger favours Ferenc Puskás with 10 major trophies (3× European Cup (1959, 1960, 1966)) against Predrag Mijatović's 2 (1× UEFA Champions League (1998)). History will file Ferenc Puskás under predatory greatness and Predrag Mijatović under predatory greatness — different shelves, same temple. The wider career context matters too: Ferenc Puskás peaked around 1960 after representing Budapest Honvéd, Real Madrid, while Predrag Mijatović's defining level came around 1998 across Budućnost Podgorica, Partizan, Valencia CF, Real Madrid, Fiorentina, Levante. Few pairings invite such entrenched disagreement, and fewer still deserve it this much.
178 words · comparison angle: legacy
Player profiles
Hungarian legend of the Magical Magyats and a Real Madrid galáctico; scorer of 84 goals in 85 games for Hungary.
“A barrel-chested left-footed finisher whose deadly striking powered Hungary's Golden Team.”
Mijatović's decisive winning goal in the 1998 Champions League final ended Real Madrid's 32-year wait for the European Cup and remains one of the club's most iconic moments.
“A clever, mobile striker whose intelligent runs in behind and composed finishing produced goals in the biggest moments.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 3× European Cup (1959, 1960, 1966)
- 5× La Liga
- 1× Olympic Gold Medal (1952)
- 1× Central European Cup (1953)
- 1× UEFA Champions League (1998)
- 1× La Liga (1997)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1943 Budapest Honvéd debut
- 1952 Olympic champion with Hungary
- 1953 Scored twice in the 6-3 win over England at Wembley
- 1956 Fled the Hungarian Revolution
- 1958 Joined Real Madrid
- 1960 Scored four goals in the European Cup final
- 1966 Retired from playing
- 1986 Professional debut for Budućnost Podgorica
- 1998 Won UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid
- 1997 Won La Liga with Real Madrid
- 1998 Reached the peak of his powers at Real Madrid
- 2004 Retired after a final spell at Levante
- Finished his career with 210 goals in 500 appearances and 2 major honours. Finished his career with 210 goals in 500 appearances and 2 major honours.
The verdict
Reasonable people will disagree, but Ferenc Puskás wins out by a decisive margin on the weight of a sharper goalscoring record.
Ferenc Puskás edges it (a decisive margin)
