| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 October 1932 | ||
| Place of birth | Pilis, Kingdom of Hungary | ||
| Date of death | 1 September 2013 (aged 80) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1952–1956 | Csepeli Vasas | ||
| 1956–1958 | Karlsruher SC | ||
| 1958–1959 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | ||
| 1959–1965 | Stuttgarter Kickers | ||
| National team | |||
| 1955 | Hungary | 2 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1968–1970 | Wacker 04 Berlin | ||
| 1970–1971 | SSV Reutlingen 05 | ||
| 1971–1972 | Royal Antwerp | ||
| 1973–1977 | North Baden FA | ||
| 1978–1983 | FC Bayern Munich | ||
| 1983–1984 | PAOK | ||
| 1984–1985 | Benfica | ||
| 1985–1986 | Borussia Dortmund | ||
| 1987–1988 | Fenerbahçe | ||
| 1988 | Eintracht Frankfurt | ||
| 1990 | Young Boys | ||
| 1990–1991 | Hertha BSC | ||
| 1993–1994 | North Korea | ||
| 1994–1995 | Sopron | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
Pál Csernai (21 October 1932 – 1 September 2013) was a Hungarian football player and manager.
Born in Pilis, Kingdom of Hungary, Csernai played club football in Hungary, Germany and Switzerland for Csepeli Vasas, Karlsruher SC, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Stuttgarter Kickers.
He also earned two caps for Hungary in 1955.
After retiring as a player, Csernai managed clubs in Germany, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Switzerland and Hungary; he also managed the North Korean national team.
Known for wearing his trade mark silk scarf, he is considered to be the inventor of the so-called "Pal system", a combination of the man-to-man and the zone defenses.
Csernai died on 1 September 2013, after a long illness.