Eusebio profile: Portugal legend 'a great player and terrific man'
Last updated on .From the section Football
It did not take Eusebio long to show why the wrangling between Sporting Lisbon and Benfica for his signature became so bitter that he had to escape to a small village on the Algarve.
Benfica won the battle to sign Eusebio, for £7,500 from Sporting Lourenco-Marques in his native Mozambique, and after scoring a hat-trick on his debut in 1961, he would soon repeat the feat in a friendly against a Santos side that included Pele.
At a time when exposure to the international game was limited, his name was known across the globe.
As a player, Eusebio, who died on Sunday at the age of 71, had it all.
He was capable of bewildering skill, possessed a stinging shot and it was said he could run 100 metres in 11 seconds. He also had the physical and mental strength not to be intimidated by anyone.
Former Manchester United player Paddy Crerand recalls facing Eusebio in a European Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford in 1966, two years before they were in opposition again in the final at Wembley in 1968.
"They got a free-kick about 35 yards from goal and I remember Harry Gregg in goal saying 'Don't put a wall up, I'll save this' and it was in the back of the net before Harry could even move," Crerand said.
"I felt sorry for Eusebio [in the 1968 final] because Nobby Stiles was marking him and not in the way you're supposed to mark people. People kicked lumps out of him and he didn't care, he just carried on playing. What a player."
In 1962, aged 20, he scored twice as Benfica beat Alfredo Di Stefano's Real Madrid 5-3 in the European Cup final.
As the focal point for a group of African players who came to prominence in the 1960s, records tumbled.
With nine goals, he was top scorer in the 1966 World Cup, the only time Portugal qualified for the tournament in his career, and he won 10 league titles and five cup competitions with Benfica.
The top scorer in the Portuguese league seven times, he was European Footballer of the Year in 1965 and by the time he retired in 1978 had scored 733 times in 745 professional matches, including 41 in 64 internationals.
A great player but also - as Crerand added - "a really terrific man", as he showed in the closing stages of that 1968 European Cup final.
In the closing stages, with the score 1-1 in a game United went on to win 4-1 in extra-time, Eusebio was denied what could have been a winner when his powerful shot was kept out by a fine save from Alex Stepney.
As play continued in one of the most important games of his life, Eusebio stopped to applaud the United goalkeeper.
"At the time I didn't really realise because it was the heat of the moment, but that was the kind of man he was," Stepney said.
"We met several times and talked about it and the respect of the man was absolutely unbelievable. To play against him was an honour."
It says much for Eusebio's standing in Portugal that for all Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved over the past decade, only now is the Real Madrid player being talked of "seriously" in the same terms as his countryman.
Ronaldo, who has scored 151 goals in 135 league appearances since joining Real from Manchester United for £80m in 2009, overtook Eusebio's international scoring tally last year but took 106 caps to do so.
"People have started comparing both in more serious ways," Portuguese football journalist Diego Butaguas said.
"Eusebio was our top player ever. Portuguese football fans are big supporters of their teams and have huge rivalries, but Eusebio was the kind of guy that everyone loved."
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Idiot, he made a great contribution to the world of sport which billions of people enjoy. He is missed because he is talented, good and loved.
Who are you? What have you done?
Why have you taken the time open the sports page and comment even if it's ignorant and stupid.... Ah, that answered my own question.
People talk about the struggles of black players in this country in the 70's and 80's but Eusebio had already proved in the 60's that black players could succeed at the highest level in Europe.
RIP
"other footballing stories have over a thousand"
The reason why other threads have a 1000% more comments is because nowadays people like you are a 1000% more ignorant and insular.
Life elsewhere does exist and indeed flourishes.
There are plenty of avenues for you to venture down to reduce your ignorance but sadly, I cannot suggest any ways for you to improve your common sense.
Also sad to see that the usual suspects are engaged in petty trolling on a remembrance article. Find somewhere else to troll lads, no one is interested in hearing your parochial monotonous nonsense.
No son, my father gently corrected me, Eusebio.
Rest in peace both.
A great ambassador for Portuguese football and football in general.
RIP
taught manners and respect, and fair play.
He will be greatly missed.
"The BBC should have opened a thread elsewhere instead of here. This is a non-story. Poor Journalism"
Uh, HELLO! you go to the dedicated SPORTS/FOOTBALL section of the BBC website and spout something totally stupid of the passing away of a world renown football player that's of great interest to all the football world. EPIC FAIL! Where else would the BBC put it? Weather? Politics?
The one I always pretended to be - not Moore or Hurst but the one and only Eusebio.
I was privileged to see him demolish North Korea at Goodison Park virtually on his own. Often hacked to bits by the brutal defenders of the time, he stayed on his feet whenever possible. No diving, no play acting just honest footballing skill. A great gentleman of the game has passed.
RIP Eusebio, you've earned it.