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Iuliu Bodola

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Iuliu Bodola / Gyula Bodola
Personal information
Date of birth (1912-02-26)26 February 1912
Place of birth Brassó, Austria-Hungary (today Brașov, Romania)
Date of death 9 September 1992(1992-09-09) (aged 80)
Place of death Budapest, Hungary
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position Striker
Youth career
1922–1929 Brașovia Brașov
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1929–1931 CA Oradea 17 (6)
1931–1932 IAR Brașov
1932–1937 CA Oradea 89 (62)
1937–1940 Venus București 61 (47)
1940–1944 Nagyváradi AC 103 (69)
1944 Vasas 4 (0)
1945–1946 Ferar Cluj 3 (3)
1946–1949 MTK Hungária 85 (37)
Total 362 (224)
International career
1931–1939 Romania 48 (31)
1940–1948 Hungary 13 (4)
Managerial career
1946 Ferar Cluj
1949–1950 MTK Budapest (youth)
1950–1951 Szolnoki MÁV
1951–1953 Szombathelyi Haladás
1953–1954 Pécsi Lokomotív
1954–1957 Komlói Bányász SK
1957–1959 Pécsi VS
1959–1960 Gyulai SE
1960–1961 Diósgyőri VTK
1963 Salgótarjáni BTC
1964–1971 Ormosbányai Bányász
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Iuliu Bodola (Hungarian: Bodola Gyula; 26 February 1912 – 9 September 1992) was a Romanian-Hungarian footballer who played as a striker. He represented both Romania and Hungary internationally.[1] He is Romania's third all-time top scorer, and he is also the all-time top scorer of the Balkan Cup.[2]

Club career

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"For me, the greatest Romanian footballer of all time was Iuliu Bodola. Neither Nicolae Dobrin nor Gheorghe Hagi could be compared with him."

— Former Romania coach Angelo Niculescu[3]

Early career

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Bodola, nicknamed Duduș, was born on 26 February 1912 in Brassó, Austria-Hungary (today Brașov, Romania).[4][5][6] He began playing junior-level football in 1922 at his hometown club Brașovia.[4][5] In 1929, he started to play at senior level for CA Oradea in the regional championship.[4][5][6] He moved to IAR Brașov in 1931, only to return one year later to CA Oradea. Bodola made his Divizia A debut on 11 September 1932 in a 3–0 home win over Brașovia.[4][5][6][7]

Venus București

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In 1937, Bodola was transferred from CA Oradea to Venus București for a one million Romanian lei fee.[5] He played in both legs of the 10–5 aggregate loss to Újpest in the first round of the 1937 Mitropa Cup.[5][8] During his three-season spell with Venus, Bodola helped the club win two consecutive titles under coach Béla Jánosy in the 1938–39 and 1939–40 seasons, and he was the team's top-scorer with 12 and 17 goals respectively.[4][5][9] He also played in a 1–0 win over AGC Bologna in the 1939 Mitropa Cup quarter-finals, but they did not qualify further because the second leg was lost 5–0.[8] Bodola played in the first two matches of the 1940 Cupa României final, when, after two draws in two replays of the final (in the first replay, which ended 4–4, Bodola scored one goal) Rapid București won the third replay and the trophy.[10]

Nagyváradi AC and Vasas

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When Northern Transylvania became part of the Kingdom of Hungary in August 1940, Bodola chose to play for CA Oradea, which was renamed Nagyváradi AC, in the Hungarian league.[3][11][12][13] He helped them achieve promotion to the first league at the end of the 1940–41 Nemzeti Bajnokság II season.[4] Subsequently, he made his Nemzeti Bajnokság I debut on 20 August 1941 under coach Ferenc Rónay in a 5–2 home win over Újvidéki AC.[14][15] He scored his first goal in the competition on 31 August in a 1–1 draw against Szolnoki.[14] Bodola netted 15 goals until the end of the season, including three hat-tricks in three victories against MÁVAG, Kolozsvár AC and Kispest AC.[14] During the 1942–43 season, he scored 17 goals, which included four in an 8–2 win over title holders and eventual champions Csepel SC.[14][16] Thanks to these performances, Bodola was named the best player of the season and the 1942 Hungarian footballer of the year.[17][18] He started the 1943–44 season strongly by scoring three goals in the first two matches which were wins over Szolnoki and Kolozsvár AC.[14] Until the end of the season, he netted 15 goals, including seven in the last five rounds, which helped Nagyváradi AC win the championship under coach Rónay and made him the team's second top-scorer behind Francisc Spielmann, who scored 23.[5][11][14][17] In 1944, Bodola had a short stint at Vasas.[5]

Ferar Cluj and MTK Hungária

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After the end of World War II, Bodola returned to Romania and played from 1945 to 1946 for Ferar Cluj, while briefly also serving as the team's head coach for a few matches.[4][5][11][19] He made his last Divizia A appearance on 23 September 1946 in a 1–0 away loss to Carmen București, totaling 153 matches with 112 goals in the competition.[4][5] Afterwards, Bodola went to play for MTK Hungária, which paid Ferar a 15 million Romanian lei transfer fee.[3][4][5][20] He made his first league appearance for his new club on 17 November under coach Pál Titkos in a 1–0 away win over Szolnoki, and he scored his first goal on 9 March 1947 in a 2–2 draw against Vasas.[14][21] On 28 February 1948, he scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 victory against Salgótarjáni BTC.[14] Two weeks later, he scored eight goals in a 16–0 win over MOGÜRT, but the result was later annulled because MOGÜRT withdrew from the championship.[14][22] Bodola made his last Nemzeti Bajnokság I appearance on 4 December 1949 in a 2–2 draw against Csepel SC, accumulating a total of 182 games with 86 goals in the competition.[14]

International career

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Romania

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Bodola made his debut for Romania on 10 May 1931 under coach Constantin Rădulescu, scoring two goals in a 5–2 win over Bulgaria in the 1929–31 Balkan Cup.[2][23] During that Balkan Cup edition, he netted another double and then a hat-trick in victories against Yugoslavia and Greece to help his side win the competition and become its top-scorer with seven goals alongside teammate Rudolf Wetzer.[2][24] Before the match against Greece, Bodola scored another hat-trick in a 4–2 friendly win over Lithuania.[2] He played in three victories against Bulgaria, Greece and Yugoslavia, netting a brace against the latter in the conquest of the 1933 Balkan Cup.[2][25] Bodola played four matches and scored once in a 4–1 victory against Austria during the 1931–1934 Central European Cup for Amateurs which was another tournament won by Romania.[2][26]

Bodola played in a 2–2 draw against Switzerland during the successful 1934 World Cup qualifiers.[2][27][28] Afterwards, he was selected by coaches Rădulescu and Josef Uridil to be part of the squad that went to the final tournament in Italy, playing the entire match in the 2–1 defeat to eventual finalists, Czechoslovakia in the first round.[2][27] In May 1936, Bodola netted his third hat-trick for The Tricolours in a 3–2 win over Yugoslavia in the friendly 1936 King Carol's Cup.[2] He was also part of Romania's team that won the 1936 Balkan Cup, contributing with two goals scored in a 5–2 victory against Greece.[29] Subsequently, he was selected by coaches Alexandru Săvulescu and Rădulescu to be part of the squad that participated in the 1938 World Cup.[2][30] Bodola played in the first game against Cuba that ended in a 3–3 draw, but he did not play in the replay which ended in a surprising 2–1 loss.[2][30][31] He made his last appearance for Romania in a 1–1 friendly draw against Hungary.[2][6]

With 48 appearances and 31 goals for Romania, Bodola previously held the national records for both caps and goals.[2][6] Mircea Lucescu surpassed his appearance record in 1974, and Gheorghe Hagi broke his goal record in 1997.[3][6][20]

Hungary

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When Northern Transylvania became part of the Kingdom of Hungary in August 1940, Bodola decided to play for the Hungary national team.[5][6] He made his debut on 1 December 1940 under coach Dénes Ginzery, closing the scoring in a 1–1 friendly draw against Italy.[2][32] On 1 November 1942, he netted a goal in a 3–0 friendly win over Switzerland, followed by a brace in May 1943 in another friendly victory against the same opponent.[2] His last game for The Magyars was a 2–1 friendly victory against rivals Austria.[2] Bodola earned a total of 13 caps with four goals for Hungary.[20][2]

Managerial career

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Bodola had his first coaching experience when he served as a player-coach for a few matches during the 1946–47 season at Ferar Cluj.[5][19] In 1949, he moved to Hungary, coaching the youth squad of MTK Hungária.[5][11][33] From 1950 to 1951, he coached Szolnoki MÁV and was close to leading them to promotion at the end of the 1950 Nemzeti Bajnokság II season, but eventually they finished second, one point behind Szegedi Honvéd.[5][11][33][34] Subsequently, in 1951 Bodola was appointed coach of Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Szombathelyi Haladás, a position he held until 1953.[5][11][33] He then moved to Pécsi Lokomotív and helped them finish first in their group during the 1953 Nemzeti Bajnokság II season, but they did not gain promotion to the top-tier because they lost the play-off.[5][11][33][35][36] Afterwards, Bodola had a three-year stint with Komlói Bányász SK, where he managed to earn a promotion to the first league at the end of the 1956 season.[5][11][33][37] In the following years, he worked in the lower leagues for teams such as Pécsi VS and Gyulai SE, but also had stints in the first league at Diósgyőri VTK and Salgótarjáni BTC.[5][11][33] His last coaching experience took place from 1964 to 1971 at Ormosbányai Bányász in the Hungarian lower leagues.[5][11][33] Bodola has a total of 115 matches as a manager in the Hungarian top-division, Nemzeti Bajnokság I.[11][12]

Style of play

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Ilie Savu, who was a teammate of Bodola at Venus București, described Bodola's style of play as follows: "As a player, he was a force to be reckoned with. He simply wreaked havoc among his opponents. He possessed a ferocious shot. He struck the ball equally well with both feet—mercilessly and with enviable accuracy."[20]

Personal life

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His son, György, was a Hungarian illustrator.

Bodola died on 9 September 1992 at age 80 in Budapest, Hungary.[5][11] In November 2008, the Municipal Stadium in Oradea was renamed after him, becoming the Stadionul Iuliu Bodola.[18][12][3][38] A memorial plaque in honor of him was displayed in his native Brașov in 2016.[11][12][20][39]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[2]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Romania 1931710
193274
193352
193432
193541
193645
193784
193851
193952
Total4831
Hungary 194021
194130
194231
194342
194810
Total134
Scores and results list Romania's and Hungary's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bodola goal.
List of international goals scored by Iuliu Bodola[2]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
Romania goals
1 10 May 1931Stadionul ONEF, Bucharest, Romania Bulgaria2–05–21929–31 Balkan Cup
2 3–1
3 28 June 1931Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Yugoslavia Yugoslavia2–14–21929–31 Balkan Cup
4 4–2
5 26 August 1931Makabi Stadionas, Kaunas, Lithuania Lithuania1–04–2Friendly
6 2–0
7 4–2
8 29 November 1931Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Athens, Greece Greece1–04–21929–31 Balkan Cup
9 2–0
10 4–2
11 8 May 1932Stadionul ONEF, Bucharest, Romania Austria Amateurs3–04–11931–1934 Central European Cup for Amateurs
12 12 June 1932Stadionul ONEF, Bucharest, Romania France1–06–3Friendly
13 6–3
14 28 June 1932Beogradski SK Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Greece3–03–01932 Balkan Cup
15 11 June 1933Stadionul ONEF, Bucharest, Romania Yugoslavia3–05–01933 Balkan Cup
16 4–0
17 30 December 1934Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Athens, Greece Bulgaria1–03–21934–35 Balkan Cup
18 2–0
19 24 June 1935Levski Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Greece1–22–21935 Balkan Cup
20 10 May 1936Stadionul ONEF, Bucharest, Romania Yugoslavia1–03–21936 King Carol's Cup
21 2–1
22 3–1
23 17 May 1936Stadionul ONEF, Bucharest, Romania Greece1–05–21936 Balkan Cup
24 5–2
25 18 April 1937 Czechoslovakia1–01–11937–38 Eduard Benes Cup
26 4 July 1937Stadion ŁKS, Łódź, Poland Poland3–14–2Friendly
27 8 July 1937Makabi Stadionas, Kaunas, Lithuania Lithuania2–02–0Friendly
28 14 July 1937Kadrioru Staadion, Tallinn, Estonia Estonia1–11–2Friendly
29 4 December 1938Stadion Letná, Prague, Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia2–02–61937–38 Eduard Benes Cup
30 18 May 1939Stadionul Venus, Bucharest, Romania Latvia1–04–0Friendly
31 4–0
Hungary goals
1 1 December 1940Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy Italy1–01–1Friendly
2 1 November 1942Üllői úti stadion, Budapest, Hungary  Switzerland1–03–0Friendly
3 16 May 1943Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland  Switzerland1–13–1Friendly
4 3–1

Honours

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Player

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Venus București

Nagyváradi AC

Romania

Individual

Record

Manager

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Pécsi Lokomotív

Komlói Bányász SK

References

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  1. ↑ "Players Appearing for Two or More Countries". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "Iuliu Bodola". European Football. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Iuliu "Duduș" Bodola, golgheterul antisemit" (in Romanian). Adevarul.ro. 26 March 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Iuliu Bodola – Stats". Romanian Soccer. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "110 ani de la nașterea lui Bodola. Povestea transferului faraonic de la Oradea la Venus și un interviu fascinant cu cel mai mare atacant al anilor '30-'40" (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Iuliu Bod(G)O(L)la" (PDF) (in Romanian). Caoradea.ro. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "CA Oradea 3 – 0 Brasovia Brasov" (in Romanian). Labtof.ro. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Közép-európai Kupa (KK)" (in Hungarian). Labdarugoadattar.hu. 16 September 2026. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "Romania National Champions". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
    "FOTBAL. Noua CAMPIOANA a ROMANIEI. Ce mai vuiet, ce mai larma..." [FOOTBALL. The new CHAMPION of ROMANIA. What a noise, what a noise ...] (in Romanian). Vechi.timisoaraexpress.ro. 14 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Romanian Cup - Season 1939 - 1940". RomanianSoccer. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Bodola Gyula" (in Romanian). Omie.ro. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Ezen a napon született Bodola Gyula, aki két ország válogatottjában is pályára lépett" (in Hungarian). Mtkbudapest.hu. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "Iuliu Bodola, cel mai mare fotbalist din istoria CFR-ului" (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
    Kleszken, Ioan (2022). Istoria clubului de fotbal CAO/NAC Oradea Vol.1. Iași: Editura Zupia. pp. 48–174. ISBN 978-606-9722-24-4.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Iuliu Bodola profile" (in Hungarian). Magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Nagyváradi AC - Újvidéki AC 5:2" (in Hungarian). Magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "Hungary - List of Final Tables 1941-1950". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  17. 1 2 "Istoria Club Atletic Oradea" (in Romanian). Caoradea.ro. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  18. 1 2 "NAC, the first rural Hungarian football champion, is 100 years old" (in Hungarian). Nemzetisport.hu. 12 November 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Iuliu Bodola profile" (in Romanian). Labtof.ro. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "Povestea lui Iuliu Bodola, fotbalistul braşovean despre care se spune că a fost mai talentat decât Hagi şi Dobrin. A fost arestat pentru că ar fi colaborat cu Gestapo-ul, poliţa secretă a lui Hitler" (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 18 August 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  21. ↑ "Szolnoki MAV - Nagyváradi AC 5:2" (in Hungarian). Magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  22. ↑ "MOGÜRT - Nagyváradi AC 0:0" (in Hungarian). Magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  23. ↑ "Romania – Bulgaria 5:2". European Football. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  24. 1 2 3 "Balkan Cup 1929–31". European Football. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Balkan Cup 1933". European Football. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  26. 1 2 "1931–1934 Central European Cup for Amateurs". European Football. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  27. 1 2 "România la CM 1934. La un pas să ratăm Italia" (in Romanian). Gsp.ro. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  28. ↑ "Switzerland 2-2 Romania". Eu-football.info. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  29. 1 2 "Balkan Cup 1936". European Football. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  30. 1 2 "România – Cuba: povestea eliminării ruşinoase de la Cupa Mondială a primei generații de excepţie din istoria "tricolorilor"" (in Romanian). Theplaymaker.ro. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Cuba 3-3 România, 5 iunie 1938 (Campionatul Mondial din Franța '38)" (in Romanian). Tikitaka.ro. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
    "Campionatul Mondial din Franța '38: Cuba 2-1 România, 9 iunie 1938" (in Romanian). Tikitaka.ro. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  32. ↑ "Italy – Hungary 1:1". European Football. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Iuliu Bodola profile 2" (in Hungarian). Magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  34. ↑ "1950 Nemzeti Bajnokság II" (in Hungarian). Magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  35. 1 2 "1953 Nemzeti Bajnokság II" (in Hungarian). Magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  36. ↑ "Helyreállt a világ rendje, visszatértünk az NB I.-be!" (in Hungarian). Dvtk.eu. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  37. 1 2 "1956 Nemzeti Bajnokság II" (in Hungarian). Magyarfutball.hu. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  38. ↑ "109 ani la de la nașterea marelui fotbalist interbelic Iuliu Bodola, cel care dă numele stadionului din Oradea. A fost agent al Gestapoului nazist" (in Romanian). Prosport.ro. 28 February 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  39. ↑ "Emléktáblát avatnak Bodola Gyula román és magyar válogatott labdarúgó szülőházán" (in Romanian). Maszol.ro. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
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