DAVID TRIGGS reports on a unique collection of football memorabilia due to go under the hammer in Chester next month.

FERENC Puskas was a phenomenal footballer - just look at the evidence. The only player to score four goals in a European Cup final, he conquered the continent three times with the mighty Real Madrid and won six league championships in his adopted country Spain.

The Hungarian pulled the strings for the 'Magical Magyars' when, in 1953, they shook the football world by condemning England to their first defeat to a foreign team at Wembley Stadium.

And it was no fluke - as anyone who saw a Puskas-inspired Hungary rack up an astonishing 7-1 victory over the English in Budapest a year later will tell you.

'The Galloping Major', as he became known, terrorised defences in the 1950s and 60s and bagged 83 goals in 84 internationals.

Given this incredible playing CV, it's not surprising to see huge interest being generated in a sale of Puskas's trophies, medals and personal mementos in Chester next month.

More than 100 items from 'The Ferenc Puskas Collection' will go under hammer at the city's branch of Bonham's on Christleton Road on November 2.

And there has already been widespread interest in the sale, according to Bonham's sports consultant Dan Davies.

'We've had e-mails from America, Brazil and all over the world,' he said. 'It's taken two years for the sale to come to fruition.

'It came about when a friend who acts as Puskas's British agent contacted me and I've been discussing it for a couple of years now.'

Davies expects the sale to generate about £35,000, but, sadly, no members of the Puskas family are likely to visit Chester for the auction.

Now aged 78, the great man himself suffers from a form of Alzheimer's and remains under 24-hour medical supervision in a private room in the state-owned Kutvolgy hospital in Budapest.

Money generated by the sale will go towards paying Puskas's medical bills, although Davies maintained: 'Mrs Puskas said her husband would have sold these items regardless of his health. about it, Geoff Hurst, George Cohen, Alan Ball and quite a few of the English lads who won the 1966 World Cup have sold their items on, too.'

One of the most valuable items in the sale is the 1954 World Cup runners-up medal awarded to Puskas after a nail-biting final which Germany won 3-2.

A late goal by Puskas was controversially disallowed, denying favourites Hungary a chance to maintain their four-year unbeaten record.

An estimate of £3,000-£5,000 has been put on the medal.

In the 1960s, Puskas was presented with two trophies for being the world's top-scorer in the 20th century - and both are up for grabs next month.

The first, presented by the Hungarian football federation, is inscribed 'world record holder of the top division goals (511) Ferenc Puskas (Hungary and Spain) by IFFHS', while the second, from the Spanish Press, reads 'Pancho Puskas, Pichichi Del Siglo' (the best in the world).

Trophies Puskas received for being the leading scorer in Spain's top flight for four consecutive years are included, along with personal gifts and presentations.

There is a silver model of the Bernabeu Stadium given to Puskas on his 75th birthday by Real Madrid and a Brazil shirt sent by Pele and signed on the front: 'To Puskas Happy Birthday do Amigo Edson Pele' (estimate £1,000-£1,500).

Also included in the sale is the Golden Boot Puskas was awarded for his international scoring record, plus the boots he wore when Hungary won gold at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

Born in Budapest in 1927, Puskas made his debut as a 16-year-old in his father's team, Kispest, and made it into the Hungarian national side two years later.

He was snapped up by Real Madrid in 1958, despite being out of shape and, at 31, no spring-chicken.

He forged a remarkable partnership with fellow attacker Alfredo Di Stefano and went on to represent his adopted country, Spain, in the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile.

At the height of his fame, Puskas owned the smartest restaurant in Madrid and a sausage factory. But he was a footballer, not a businessman, and he did not generate enough money to guarantee financial security.

Earlier this year, 40,000 fans turned out for a testimonial match involving Real Madrid in Budapest. But while the Spanish giants secured their £892,000 appearance fee, just £7,000 of the proceeds from the match ended up going to the Puskas family.

Thankfully, next month's sale is likely to go some small way to addressing that financial shortfall.