Several names stand out among the outstanding footballers of all times and peoples. Among them is the legendary Portuguese footballer, who can be safely called the “Portuguese king of football”. The world knows this man named Eusebio.
Eusebio is a Portuguese footballer of Mozambican descent. One of the best strikers of all time was born into a simple and poor family in 1942. From early childhood he was interested in football, at the age of 11 he became the best player in the local club, where at the age of 19 he was noticed in the football club Benfica. With the arrival of Eusebio, the Lisbon club began to win over the strongest teams. All football experts noted the striker's speed and flexibility. Many said that Eusebio had a talent from God.
Eusebio began to be compared with the great Pele, he received the nicknames black panther and black pearl due to his outstanding qualities. But the audience remembered him not only as a professional, but also as a decent and honest player who did not cripple or beat his rivals.
The great player had to end his career due to injury at the age of 32. He became the eleven-time Portuguese champion, winner of the Ballon d'Or, two-time Golden Boot winner. Among the successes of Eusebio, it is worth highlighting the bronze medal of the 1966 World Cup, then the world championship was held in England. At this tournament, Eusebio was recognized as the best striker. He was also recognized as the top scorer. In addition, Eusebio, together with Benfica, won the European Cup.
The statistics of matches and goals for the Benfica team is simply amazing. He played 715 matches. In which he hit the opponent's goal 727 times. This is an amazing achievement. It is unlikely that anyone will soon break the record of the great Eusebio in the Portuguese club, because these numbers seem unrealistic.
Eusebio can be safely called the best Portuguese player of the 20th century. In addition, his name is among the ten greatest footballers in the history of world football, and some football experts argue that there is currently no player in Portugal who could compare with Eusebio. It is worth recognizing that in some ways the experts are right, because Cristiano Ronaldo cannot boast of such a list of awards in the world and in the club field. In particular, Ronaldo has not yet had a chance to become a medalist of the World Cup.
On January 5, 2014, the Portuguese football legend passed away. The venerable player died at the age of 72 from cardiac arrest.
