Passing Out Of A True Legend

The 1966 World Cup star, who died on Sunday aged 71, will go down in history as not only one of football's greats but also as one of the sport's trailblazers
With the passing of Portugal great Eusebio on Sunday, football has lost not only one of its all-time talents but also an important figure who trailblazed a path for African stars to make a living from the game in Europe.

During an illustrious career in which he established himself as one of the outstanding players of his generation, the forward enjoyed a remarkable career in which he scored an incredible 727 times in 715 appearances for Benfica, with whom he spent 15 years at the vanguard of their offence.

Having been born in Mozambique to an Angolan father and Mozambican mother, Eusebio was something of a novelty not only because of his talents, but also because of his background. When he made his breakthrough for the Lisbon club in the early 1960s, there had never before been such a European superstar hailing from the continent of Africa, and when he struck a hat-trick against a Santos outfit containing Pele in only his second outing for Benfica’s senior side, he probably had no idea that influx of talent he was smashing down the door for.

Today it is rare for any top level European side to be without at least one player who can trace their ancestry back to Africa. Without Eusebio, there would have been no Abedi Pele, George Weah, Marcel Desailly or Didier Drogba.

Nevertheless, ‘the Black Pearl’, as he quickly became known, would turn out for his adopted country at international level, where his legend would only grow. In total he scored 41 times for Portugal – a figure only recently bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo, who has yet to wrestle the mantle of the nation’s greatest ever player away from the Benfica icon – achieved in only 64 outings and at a far superior rate to his modern-day counterpart.

If comparisons against Ronaldo still broadly favour Eusebio, he is often unfavorably associated with Pele, who scored many of his 1,281 goals against second-rate state opponents when the Portuguese was busy competing against the world’s best on a regular basis in Europe.
While fans of Pele, Marco van Basten and the Brazilian and Portuguese Ronaldos may argue otherwise, there has probably never been a more complete forward in history than Eusebio. Brilliant with both feet and in the air, bull-like strength, lightning-pace, a lethal finisher and perfect technique – the striker boasted every attribute in the game.