By Andrew Warshaw
January 6 – Tributes continue to pour in from across the world following the death of Eusebio, the darling of Portuguese football who will for ever be remembered as one of the game’s true greats as well as true gentlemen. Top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, Eusebio died Sunday of a heart attack at the age of 71 with Portugal declaring three days of national mourning for their “eternal symbol” of football.
Eusebio, whose full name was Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, was European Footballer of the Year in 1965 and stamped his name on the World Cup the following year where his nine goals, including four in one game against North Korea, helped his country reach the semifinals.
In all, the ‘Black Panther’ – a nickname he never felt comfortable with – earned 64 caps and scored 41 times for Portugal but was even more prolific during his 15 years with Benfica for whom he scored more than 300 goals at an average of roughly one a game, and won the European Cup in 1962.
“The news (of his death) caught us by surprise brutally, because there are men who should never go away,” a Benfica statement read. “The life of Eusebio is the patrimony of everyone who loves football.”
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.”
Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who overtook Eusebio as Portugal’s record marksman, and Chelsea’s Portuguese boss Jose Mourinho also paid tribute to the man who hailed from the former Portuguese colony of Mozambique and was widely regarded as the first African player to truly make his mark on the game.
“He was one of the great figures of Portugal. I think he is immortal. We all know what he meant for football and especially for Portuguese football,” Jose Mourinho told Portugal’s state broadcaster RTP.
At Wembley in 1968 Eusebio very nearly won the European Cup again for Benfica, famously applauding a fantastic save from Manchester United goalkeeper Alex Stepney in the closing minutes of normal time before United went on to triumph.
Former England goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who played against Eusebio at the 1966 World Cup, said: “He was a gentleman. A real nice guy and he shook my hand after the World Cup semi-final and wished us all the best.”
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