Eusébio

Eusébio, or Eusébio da Silva Ferreira,is a one of the most remarkable Portuguese football players and an icon. He was born in 1942 in Maputo, Mozambique. Nicknamed, Black Pantherand Black Pearl, Eusébio began his football career in Portugal when he was just 19 years old in the football club Sport Lisboa e Benfica. He called the attention of this club with his participation in a local club of Maputo: Sporting Club of Lourenço Marques. In 1916, he made his debut with the Portuguese national team, that was also the year in which he joined Benfica.

A year later, in 1962, he won the UEFA Champions League after scoring two goals out of five that give Benfica the triumph against Real Madrid 5-3. In 1966, he won the recognition of being the top goal scorer in the 1966 World Cup in England scoring nine goals that season. Previously, he had been given other individual recognition in 1965; he was the European Footballer of the Year. In 1968, he was given one of the most important recognitions for a football player: the Golden Boot Award since he was the Europe's leading scorer.

Eusébio is not only one of the best players of his era, but also one of the great football players ever. The features that made him that successful were his quick dribble, speed, and his accurate right-footed strike. Playing in the Portuguese First Division, he was the top scorer for 7 times in 9 years (1964-1973). With Benefica, he scored 727 goals in 715 matches. With his national team, he scored 41 goals in 64 matches from 1961-1973.