Fehér will never be forgotten

On January 25^th, 2004, precisely 14 years ago, Benfica traveled to Guimarães to play the Matchweek 19 of the National Championship. The match was being broadcast live on television and the Reds were winning by 0-1.

Shortly after the goal, Miklós Fehér, with 24 years, saw a yellow card for delaying the restart of play, he responded to the warning of the referee Olegário Benquerença with a smile and, almost immediately, he felt unconscious on the pitch. The Hungarian forward suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch and ended up dying in the hospital. The news traveled the world. The football world was poorer.

Fehér's body was in burning chamber in the lobby Estádio da Luz, where a crowd of Benfica supporters and from other clubs paid homage. The funeral was held in his homeland in Gyor, Hungary.

In his memory, the number 29 jersey was retired from the Reds squad - no other footballer may wear it - and in that same year Benfica dedicated to Fehér the triumph in the Portuguese Cup (2-1 against José Mourinho's FC Porto) and placed a bust of the player in the lobby of the door 18 of Estádio da Luz.

In addition, Benfica established the Miklós Fehér award, that every year distinguishes teachers and students who excel in the various areas in the former school of the player, in Gyor, in Hungary, and that takes them to Lisbon each year.

"Always remembered and never forgotten", wrote Ricardo Rocha, Fehér's former teammate, on his Twitter account. "Greatly missed", replied the former teammate Nuno Gomes.

Text: Márcia Dores

Pics: Archive / SL Benfica