Forever, Eusébio!

Eusébio da Silva Ferreira was born on January 25, 1942, in Mozambique. The King of Portuguese football would celebrate 77 years of age this Friday. 

He joined Benfica in December 1960. A 15-season story told through excellent performances, goals, and achievements, that turned Eusébio into one of the best Portuguese players of all times.

He made 614 appearances for Benfica, he scored 638 goals (an average of more than 1 per match), and won 10 National Championships, 5 Portuguese Cups, 1 European Cup and 5 Lisbon Honor Cups.

Also remarkable on an individual level, King Eusébio was the only Portuguese player to ever win a Golden Ball whilst representing a Portuguese club, in 1965 and he also won the Golden boot twice, the trophy for the European top scorer in 1968 and 1973.

The day Portugal stopped

In the early morning of January 5, 2014, the country received the news that Eusebio had died. A day that was marked in the history of Sport Lisboa e Benfica as one of the saddest days ever.

Supporters from all over the world visited Estádio da Luz to say one last "goodbye" to the Black Panther, in a deserved and moving tribute. Scarves from various clubs, posters, photographs, and other artifacts were left next to the statue of the King.

On 3 July 2015, the National Pantheon received the mortal remains of Eusébio, in a ceremony attended by the family of the former footballer, the Chairman Luís Filipe Vieira and several personalities from Portuguese society.

Text: Márcia Dores

Pics: Archive / SL Benfica