Football

Portugal has produced some of the most creative dazzling footballers the world has known. But none were or are as dazzling as Eusébio. The first world-famous African footballer he set records that have lasted for decades and scored goals at an astonishing rate, as described below.

Eusebio Video

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Eusebio

Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (born January 25, 1942 in Mozambique - then an Overseas Province of Portugal, popularly known simply as Eusébio, is a Portuguese former football forward of Mozambican origin. He helped the Portugal national team reach third place at the 1966 World Cup, being the top goalscorer of the tournament, and was elected the European Footballer of the Year in 1965. He played for Benfica for 15 years, and is still the team's all-time top scorer.

Nicknamed "The Black Panther", or "The Black Pearl", Eusébio was notable for his incredible scoring ability, 727 goals in 715 games, which is hard to fathom.

To put this in perspective the best strikers are exceptional if they score a goal every other game. He is also known for his speed and his powerful, accurate right-footed strike. He is considered Benfica's and Portugal's most renowned player and the first well-known world-class African striker. He was elected the 9th best footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the IFFHS. Pelé named Eusébio as one of the 125 best living footballers in his 2004 FIFA 100 list. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Portugal by the Portuguese Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.