Australian football is mourning the passing of Socceroos great Attila Abonyi.
Born in Budapest in 1946, Abonyi migrated to Melbourne with his family in 1957.
In a celebrated playing career, he scored 25 goals in 61 'A' internationals and wore the green and gold 89 times in total between 1967 and 1977.
He played in all three of Australia's matches at the 1974 World Cup and, after also achieving coaching success, was inducted to the Football Australia Hall of Fame in 1999.
Abonyi remains the Socceroos' equal fifth-highest goalscorer of all time, alongside John Kosmina.
"Today we mourn the loss of one of the greats of our game in Attila Abonyi," said Football Australia chairman Chris Nikou in a statement.
"Attila was part of a brigade of pioneers who brought football into the wider consciousness of the Australian public, particularly through that historic FIFA World Cup appearance in 1974.
"An unbelievable talent whose attacking prowess was revered across the country, Atilla's story and career typified football in Australia during that period and his influence has been integral to the development of the game as we know it today.
"A deserved Hall of Fame inductee, Atilla will be remembered for his role as a player and a coach in the growth of football in Australia.
"On behalf of Football Australia our thoughts are with Atilla's family and friends during this difficult time."
The talented striker played in the Victorian State League as a 15-year-old and represented the Victorian state team at 17.
He made his senior international debut in 1967, scoring 11 times in his first nine games for his country at the age of 20.
Those matches were played in war-torn Vietnam as part of the Quoc Khanh Cup, with Australia beating some of Asia's strongest nations to win the nation's first-ever international soccer silverware.
With two hat-tricks in the group stage and a goal in the final, Abonyi's played a big part there.
At club level, Abonyi played with Melbourne Hungaria (1962-1968) and NSW clubs St George Budapest (1969-1976) and Sydney Croatia (1977-1979).
At Melbourne Hungaria his hat-trick in the 1967 Australia Cup final secured a 4-3 victory against Apia Leichhardt, which complimented the Victorian state league title won that year.
He won five premierships as a player in NSW, two with St George, and three in a row with Sydney Croatia.
After turning to coaching, Abonyi won three NSW championships in a row - two as player-coach with Sydney Croatia (1978 and 1979), and then with Melita Eagles in 1980.
He also had coaching stints with national league teams Canberra City and Sydney Croatia, and between 1985 and 1986 assisted Socceroos coach Frank Arok.
