Ștefan Dobay

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Ștefan Dobay (Hungarian: Dobay István) was a Romanian footballer and coach who played as a striker. He was born on 26 September 1909 in Újszentes, Austria-Hungary (today Dumbrăvița, Romania) and died on 7 April 1994 in Târgu Mureș, Romania. He was nicknamed "Calul" (The Horse) for his powerful speed and shot.

Dobay spent most of his club career with Ripensia Timișoara (1930–1940), where he helped win several league titles and cups and was one of the team’s leading scorers. He also played for Unirea CFR Timișoara, Banatul Timișoara, Kolozsvári AC, Törekvés SE, and later CSM Mediaș as a player-coach, finishing his top-level playing days with Mediaș.

For Romania, Dobay earned 41 caps and scored 19 goals. He played in the 1934 and 1938 World Cups, scoring in both tournaments. He was a key player in the Balkan Cup, helping Romania win the competition in 1933 and 1936 and finishing as one of its top scorers in 1933.

After his playing career, Dobay became a manager. He coached Romania’s national team in 1954 and led several clubs, including CCA București (with which he won the Cupa României in 1955) and the army team to the league title in 1956. He also managed clubs such as CFR Cluj and UTA Arad.

Dobay was famous for his powerful shot, described by contemporaries as a thunderbolt. A stadium in his hometown of Dumbrăvița is named in his honor. He died in 1994 at the age of 84.