Portugal mourns passing of legendary Eusebio
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Eusebio, the Portuguese star who was born into poverty in Africa but became an international sporting icon, has died aged 71.
The top scorer in the 1966 World Cup with nine goals and considered one of the best footballers of all time, Eusebio da Silva Ferreira died of cardio-pulmonary arrest early yesterday. His coffin was to be taken to Benfica’s Stadium of Light later yesterday.
The Portuguese government declared three days of national mourning and fans paid homage by visiting an iconic statue of him erected next to Benfica’s stadium, leaving flowers, scarves and other tributes.
“Always eternal Eusebio, rest in peace,” Real Madrid and Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo said on his Facebook page.
Nicknamed “the Black Panther,” his athletic prowess and clinical finishing made him one of the world’s top scorers during his heyday in the 1960s for Benfica and the national team.
Perhaps his biggest accomplishment was to lead Portugal to a third-place finish at the 1966 World Cup. He was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1965 as Europe’s player of the year and twice won the Golden Boot — in 1968 and 1973 — for being top scorer in Europe. According to FIFA, he scored 679 goals in a total of 678 official games.
None are more famous than those he netted against North Korea in the quarterfinals of the 1966 World Cup.
With Portugal trailing 0-3, Eusebio inspired his team’s turnaround with four goals in just over 30 minutes and an eventual 5-3 victory.
After his first two goals, he picked the ball out of the net, ran back to the halfway line and placed it in the center spot for the restart. He completed his hat-trick with a 56th-minute equalizer before scoring his fourth from the penalty spot as North Korea’s defense fell apart amid the onslaught.
“That was the best game of my life in a Portugal jersey,” Eusebio said.
“It left its mark on me.”
While Portugal went on to lose to host and eventual champion England in the semifinals, Eusebio became even more popular at home when he wept openly as he left the field following the defeat.
“I was the best player in the world, top scorer in the world and Europe. I did everything, except win a World Cup,” Eusebio said in 2011.
In 1998, a panel of 100 experts gathered by FIFA named him in its International Football Hall of Fame as one of the sport’s top 10 all-time greats.
“Look, there are only two black people on the list: me and Pele,” Eusebio commented on the honor, referring to the Brazilian great. “I regard that as a great responsibility because I am representing Africa and Portugal, my second homeland.”
Born in 1942 in the former Portuguese colony of Mozambique, Eusebio rose to prominence as a teenager through his performances for Sporting Lourenco Marques, a team with links to Sporting Lisbon.
With his exceptional technique, strength and goal-scoring record, it was not long before word of Eusebio’s prowess soon filtered back to Portugal. In December 1960 he was offered trials with Sporting.
Although keen, Eusebio was not willing to risk leaving his beloved mother unless there was the firm promise of a contract. Sporting balked, creating an opening for Benfica, which snapped up the youngster’s signature.
In an epic European Cup final against Real Madrid in 1962, when a first-half hat-trick by Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas looked like it would be enough to secure the trophy for the Spanish club, Eusebio scored the last two goals as the Lisbon team came back to win 5-3 and clinch Benfica’s second straight continental title.
When Puskas symbolically handed his jersey to Eusebio after the match, the message was clear — the torch had passed.
He finished his 64-cap career having accumulated 41 goals for Portugal.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on his Twitter page: “football has lost a legend but Eusebio’s place among the greats will never be taken away.”
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