Eusebio da Silva Ferreira

Eusebio was one of the greatest footballers of all time, who played as a striker for Benfica and Portugal. He was born in Mozambique, then a Portuguese colony, and moved to Lisbon in 1960 to join Benfica. He soon became a star, scoring 473 goals in 440 competitive matches for the club. He helped Benfica win 11 Portuguese league titles and five Portuguese cups, as well as the European Cup in 1962. He also reached three more European Cup finals in 1963, 1965 and 1968, losing to AC Milan, Inter Milan and Manchester United respectively. Eusebio was also a prolific scorer for Portugal, netting 41 goals in 64 international appearances. He led Portugal to their best ever performance at the FIFA World Cup in 1966, when they finished third in England. He was the top scorer of the tournament with nine goals, including four in a remarkable comeback against North Korea in the quarter-finals. He also scored a penalty against England in the semi-finals, but could not prevent a 2-1 defeat. He received a standing ovation from the Wembley crowd after the match. Eusebio was known for his speed, technique, power and deadly right-footed shot. He was nicknamed "The Black Panther", "The Black Pearl" or "The King" by his fans and admirers. He won the Ballon d'Or in 1965 and was runner-up in 1962 and 1966. He was also the first player to win the European Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer in European leagues, in 1968. He repeated the feat in 1973. He was voted the ninth-best player of the 20th century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and the tenth-best by World Soccer magazine. He was also named one of the 125 greatest living footballers by Pelé in his FIFA 100 list in 2004. Eusebio retired from playing in 1979, after brief spells with several clubs in North America and Portugal. He remained an ambassador for Benfica and Portuguese football until his death. He died of heart failure on 5 January 2014, aged 71. His funeral was attended by thousands of people who paid tribute to his legacy. He was buried at the Church of Santa Engrácia in Lisbon, where other prominent Portuguese figures are also interred.