Eusébio
Regarded as one of the best footballers to have ever come out of Portugal and to have ever played, Eusébio da Silva Ferreira was born in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) on January 25, 1942, to an Angolan father and a Mozambican mother.
Eusébio, who was also nicknamed the Black Panther, the Black Pearl and o Rei (the king) gained a cult hero status during his playing days with Benfica, one of the most popular teams in Portugal as well as the Portuguese national team, scoring 733 goals in 745 professional matches.
He made a name for himself at the 1966 World Cup in England finishing as the competition’s top scorer with 9 goals and leading his team to finish third. He also won several domestic cups as well as the European Cup with Benfica in the 1961-62 season.
Eusébio also won and received several individual accolades and honors including the Ballon d’Or in 1965, the European Golden Boot in 1968, World Soccer’s Selection of the 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time, Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry, FIFA International Football Hall of Champion, FIFA 100, just to mention a few.
He passed away on January 5, 2014, after suffering a heart attack.
