The globalisation of the modern economy has long since filtered down into football. Up and down the SPL, and even further down the Scottish pyramid, we have become accustomed to seeing players from all across Europe and even further afi eld plying their trade alongside the home grown talents that we always look to nurture.

Yet it has not always been thus and you only need go back 40 years or so to fi nd a time when European footballers were exotic beasts indeed, rarely seen in this country and only then when there was a visit from a side in the European Cup, the UEFA Cup or the Cup Winners' Cup. Those nights, special even today, had a little extra something back then, before television could make us legitimate fans of Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich, as familiar with them and their players as we are with the Dons, the Gers and the Bhoys.

So imagine just how thrilling it was in October 1972 whn Aberdeen actually went out and bought ourselves a foreigner to play in our first team, a footballer who had already won international renown as part of the Hungarian Olympic team, winning gold in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Playing for the mighty Ferencvaros, he had followed that up with a win in the 1965 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as they overcame Juventus in the final.

From there, Varga defected after the 1968 Olympics in order to leave the eastern bloc behind and he signed for Belgium's Standard Liege, World Soccer noting that, "Varga's defection is a sad blow for Hungary. He is a brilliant player now and could have developed into another Puskas. In the Hungarian forward line, he was a conductor without an orchestra".

He moved on to Hertha Berlin just a year later, a club where he enjoyed great personal success, only to find himself embroiled in a betting scandal in the Bundesliga, which saw him banned from German football or a couple of years.

Berlin's loss was to be Aberdeen's gain for after he had been in exile for around a year, acting with opportunistic zeal, the Dons stepped in and made him an offer hat allowed him to continue his career in Scotland. Perhaps today, such an opportunity would not have been afforded him, perhaps UEFA might have stepped in to make he ban a Europe wide one. But October 1972 was an altogether simpler time in so many ways and Varga made the move to Scotland without creating any real fuss in the media - can you imagine what kind of splash the press would make today if the Dons were to sign someone branded a match fixer?

Instead, he was offered the luxury of a fresh start in a city enthralled by this exotic creature from the land of Puskas, a descendant of the Mighty Magyars of the 1950s who had become dear to Scottish hearts after their imperious demolition of England's unbeaten home record when they crushed them 6-3 at Wembley in 1953. If Varga was good enough for his country's team, then he was good enough for us.

From the very outset, it was clear that Zoltan Varga was different. Where others indulged in a bit of a kick-about before the game started, Varga was a man alone, going through his regime of stretches, not touching the ball, preparing himself for the game ahead. And he was well aware that he had much to prove, because as a foreigner in a foreign land, with a £40,000 price tag around his neck, he was a marked man, among players and spectators. "Go on, show us what you've got" was the attitude towards him. So he did.

He made his debut in a game against Falkirk in October 1972 and from the very outset, it was clear that even amid a very handy Aberdeen side indeed, Varga was something a bit special. It was soon apparent that Varga was almost on another level, having learnt his trade on the more subtle training fields of Eastern Europe as opposed to the winter parks in Scotland. Varga was an elegant player with superb touch and control.

By the end of that first month, he had his first goals, scoring a brace as the Dons were beaten 3-2 at Pittodrie, perhaps the high point of his time in the Granite City. His second goal came in front of a stunned Beach end as Varga found himself on the edge of the Celtic area and for once, given a fraction of time and space by Jock Stein's rampant side. Zoltan calmly lifted the ball over Celtic keeper Williams after spotting that he had come off his line. It was a superb piece of artistry from one of the most gifted players ever to play for the Dons.

Varga recalled later, "Aberdeen were a very good team at that time and I was surrounded by very good players. Moving to Scotland and playing for Aberdeen was a great experience for me. The game and culture was so different to what I was used to.

"The supporters were very good, I had a great rapport with them. They loved me and I loved them. The people were very friendly and I have a lot of great memories from my time in Aberdeen. I always look for their results. They were a great club to play for and they will always hold a special memory for me.

"The game in Scotland was very physical and fast and I found that I had to alter my style a bit. Aberdeen had some great players in their team and I remember playing along with Joe Harper and Drew Jarvie who were very good footballers. My stay in Scotland was a short one but a happy one for me."

Shot stays were commonplace for Varga who had something of the gypsy in him after leaving his Hungarian homeland, moving across Europe in search of another challenge and another opportunity. He was with the Dons for just a season, scoring 10 goals in his 31 games, but when he left, who could have blamed him for answering the call from Ajax Amsterdam to replace the great Johan Cruyff who had just completed his own transfer, to Barcelona. Varga's final game for the Dons, at Morton in April 1973, marked the debut of another Dons legend of an altogether different kind - Willie Miller.

For all those mercurial moments of magic, in truth perhaps Varga was never best suited to Scottish football as back then the more agricultural defenders were very much in vogue and were given more leeway to leave an 'impression' on opponents than we see in these often over-protected times. European football suited him better as he continued his nomadic lifestyle, returning to West Germany to play for Borussia Dortmund and then to Belgium where he represented Gent.

After his playing career ended, he coached briefly in West Germany but after the tumbling of the Berlin wall, he returned to coach in Hungary, taking charge of Ferencvaros in 1996, then moving to Honved later, symptomatic of his apparent inability to put down roots at any football club.

News of his death stunned Dons supporters of his era, for Varga was one of those men who seemed somehow immortal. For him to be struck down at just 65 was a savage blow but perhaps we can take solace from the manner of his passing. He died on the football field, the place he had made his own, collapsing during a senior's game in Budapest. Zoltan was a gunslinger at heart, a romantic hero who rode into town and then rode out again. Like all good cowboys, he died with his boots on.

Date of Birth: 1.1.1945

Born: Val, Hungary

Signed: October 1972

Aberdeen Appearances: 31

Aberdeen Goals: 10

Other Clubs: Standard Liege, Hertha Berlin, Ferencvaros, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, Gent.

International Details: 16 Youth Internationals, 3 U-23 Appearances, 15 international appearances for Hungary.