BUDAPEST, Hungary _ Hungary's president and prime minister were among thousands paying their last respects Thursday to soccer legend Ferenc Puskas, who was lying in honor in St. Stephen's Basilica.

Puskas died November 17 at age 79 after being hospitalized for six years with Alzheimer's disease.

President Laszlo Solyom was the first to lay a wreath at the foot of Puskas' coffin, as a guard of honor stood by beneath the basilica's grand dome.

Puskas, who captained Hungary's national team in the 1950's and later won three European Cup titles with Real Madrid, was considered one of the best players of all time, scoring more than 600 career goals between 1943 and 1966.

The stocky, left-footed forward guided the "Magical Magyars" to an Olympic gold medal in 1952 and to the final of the 1954 World Cup, where they lost to West Germany.

State and government authorities, as well as officials from Hungary's soccer federation and Honved _ the only Hungarian club team Puskas ever played for _ filed past Puskas' remains before the basilica's gates were opened to the public.

After laying a single flower near the casket, the face of Sandor Kecskes, 83, lit up as he spoke about "Ocsi" or "little brother," as Puskas was affectionately called in Hungary.

"I didn't miss one of his matches. I went to see all of them, every single one possible. To me he meant my youth," Kecskes said. "This is a big loss for Hungary. Even at this age I have lost my youth through his death. Puskas was a benchmark for this country."

Others remembered Hungary's most famous victory with Puskas, 1953's 6-3 win at Wembley Stadium that made Hungary the first non-British team to win at England.

"I remember the 1953 game, the victory," said Hilda Hamori, 89, after reciting a silent prayer for Puskas. Moving by the casket, she pulled out a small camera from her purse and took a last image of "the idol of youth."

Goalkeeper Gyula Grosics and defender Jeno Buzanszky, the last surviving members of the "Golden Team," were swarmed by dozens of fans as they exited the basilica after placing a bouquet of white roses in front of the casket covered by a Hungarian flag.

"When we played, we were interested not just in the result but also in entertaining the people," Grosics said.

Florian Albert, the 1967 European Player of the Year and Hungary's best player after the Puskas era, was among many Hungarian sports figures paying their respects to the "Galloping Major," a nickname reflecting his army rank.

Puskas was often called "the most famous Hungarian," even though Hungary's communist regime for years sponsored a smear campaign against the star who defected to Spain after Hungary's 1956 revolution was crushed by the Soviets.

The dictatorial regime was partially successful, as Puskas and other players who stayed in the West were banned by FIFA from playing _ or even training _ with any team in the world for almost two years.

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