Eusébio

Lore & Background

Eusébio was born in the Mafalala neighbourhood of Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), Portuguese Mozambique on 25 January 1942. He helped Portugal reach third place at the 1966 FIFA World Cup, being the top goalscorer of the tournament with nine goals. He won the Ballon d'Or in 1965 and was runner-up in 1962 and 1966. He is Benfica's all-time top scorer with 473 goals in 440 competitive matches. There, his honours include eleven Primeira Liga titles and a European Cup, also being integral in reaching additional European Cup finals in 1963, 1965 and 1968. He is the second-highest goalscorer, behind Alfredo Di Stéfano, in the pre-Champions League era of the European Cup with 47 goals. He was the European Cup top scorer in 1964–65, 1965–66 and 1967–68. He also won the Bola de Prata for the Primeira Liga top scorer a record seven times. He was the first ever player to win the European Golden Boot, in 1968, a feat he replicated in 1973.

In Their Own Story

At Roker Park in Sunderland, the air grew heavy with disbelief as Portugal trailed North Korea 3-0. Eusébio did not panic; he hunted. With a thunderous burst of pace that left defenders grasping at shadows, he unleashed a strike that silenced the skeptics and ignited the Portuguese diaspora in red. Four goals later, the impossible had become reality. The Black Panther didn't just play; he conquered.

Reader's Guide

Eusébio was the first ever player to win European Golden Boot, World Cup Golden Boot and UCL Golden Boot. In the UEFA Champions League, he ranks second for the all-time Portuguese top goalscorers, scoring 47 goals. He was elected the ninth-best footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the IFFHS and the tenth-best footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the World Soccer magazine. Pelé named Eusébio as one of the 125 best living footballers in his 2004 FIFA 100 list. He was seventh in the online poll for UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Portugal by the Portuguese Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.

Did You Know?

• Eusébio was known for his right-footed shot, not his left foot.
• He scored 733 goals in 745 matches.
• He was the first player to win European Golden Boot, World Cup Golden Boot and UCL Golden Boot.
• He was runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 1962 and 1966, and won it in 1965.