When discussions turn to football's all-time greats, names like Pelé, Maradona, Puskas, and Cruyff readily come to mind. However, the question of the greatest ever Jewish footballer often elicits a blank response, a silence that author David Bolchover seeks to address in his new book. Bolchover's extensive research into contemporaneous press descriptions has led him to identify two outstanding Hungarian talents: Kalman Konrad and Jozsef Braun, ultimately leaning towards Braun as the superior player.
Jozsef Braun, the youngest of 12 children from a devout Jewish family in Putnok, Hungary, demonstrated immense ability from a young age. He was selected for the Hungarian national team at just 17, a remarkable feat given Hungary's status as an elite footballing nation at the time. Known for his blistering pace and exceptional technical skill, Braun's dazzling international career was tragically curtailed in his mid-20s by a series of injuries, often inflicted by aggressive defenders.
However, Braun's ultimate tragedy extended far beyond the football pitch. By the age of 41, he had been brutally murdered, beaten to death while serving as a slave labourer in the harsh Russian winter. His death, at the hands of fellow Hungarians, occurred less than two decades after many would have celebrated his footballing prowess. The final, harrowing image of Braun depicts his Hungarian guards prying open his mouth to extract gold teeth from his lifeless body.
Unlike other footballing legends, Braun's death was not marked by public tributes or announcements. His memory was not lauded by proud Jewish communities, nor did Hungarians born after his time wax lyrical about his talents in the way they might for Ferenc Puskas. The chain of collective memory was shattered, as most who might have cherished his story perished around the same time, along with their descendants and their dreams, effectively stopping his narrative in its tracks.
This profound loss highlights the devastating impact of genocide, which not only extinguishes lives but also obliterates the stories and memories of those individuals among the living. Bolchover previously explored the life of Bela Guttmann, a charismatic and influential Jewish manager from Hungary who survived the Holocaust to achieve significant success in football. Yet, the wider narrative of those who did not survive, like Braun, reveals a deeper, more harrowing truth about the historical void created by such atrocities.