Eusebio, football player: biography and sports career

Eusebio is one of the greatest football players of the 20th century. His name stands in line with Pele, Lev Yashin and Bobby Charlton. This is one of the most striking strikers, who became famous for his performances for the Lisbon Benfica and Portugal. Several hundred goals for the career and dozens of awards and cups ... However, the main trophy of world football - the cup of the winner of the World Cup - he never yielded. Although Eusebio once was very close to him.

Early career

His full name is Eusebio da Silva Ferreira. He was born during the Second World War in the Portuguese colony in East Africa (suburb of Laurence-Markish). Now it is the capital of Mozambique Maputo. Father Eusebio worked on the railway, but when the boy was 8 years old, he died of tetanus. School and education, the future football star was not very interested, but with a leather ball he became friends in the first years of his life.

All the boys in those years were fascinated by the game of the Brazilian national team, so it is not surprising that the team, which 11-year-old Eusebio gathered with friends, and called - "Brazilians".

Young star

True, at first the future striker could not quickly succeed. Get into the farm club "Benfica" failed, and then his older brother invited to the "Sporting Lawrence-Markish." This was the double of the main rival of Benfica, the Lisbon Sporting. At the age of 15, Eusebio became one of the team's top scorers, scoring 77 goals in three games in 42 games.

Together with the team Eusebio, the football player at that time promising, successfully performed in friendly matches on the island of Mauritius and was noticed by the scouts of another Portuguese grandee - "Porto". However, it turned out to be Eusebio still in the "Benfica", which he aspired initially. The former Brazilian midfielder Jose Carlos Bauer drew attention to him and, according to rumors, even wanted to attach him to the Brazilian "Sao Paulo", but was denied there. Then he advised to pay attention to the promising young fellow the head coach of Benfica, the legendary Hungarian Bel Guttmann. He himself came to look at Eusebio, and the life of the young athlete after that changed abruptly.

The first years in Benfica

In "Benfica" Eusebio came when he was 18 years old. He proved himself well and in less than a year he got a call to the Portuguese national team. The arrival of the ambitious striker in the team coincided with the period of its heyday. Many call it the "golden" era of the club and are associated only with two names - Eusebio and Gutman.

Already in 1961, the Portuguese club interrupted the unconditional hegemony of Madrid "Real" in the European Champions Cup. In the dramatic final match the trophy was won, the defeated was "Barcelona" - 3: 2.

Repeat the success was also for the next season. This time the rivals "Benfica" got the Royal Club itself. In Madrid in the first half, hat-trick was issued by another legendary striker, Hungarian Ferenc Puskas, and the Portuguese responded with the goals of Aguas and Kavem. On the 51st minute, the score was equalized by Coluna, and after that the double was made by Eusebio. Footballer and set the final score - 5: 3.

"Benfica" Eusebio devoted most of his career - 15 years. During this time in 301 games, he sent 316 goals to the opponents' goal. Phenomenal result for the attacker.

The first steps in the national team

In the national team athlete made his debut in October 61st, in a match against Luxembourg. It was a qualifying game before the World Cup in 62-year. At that time, the Portuguese sensationally lost - 2: 4. Once distinguished himself Eusebio. Footballer, photo of which in the coming years occupied the front pages of all sports newspapers in Europe, that evening was unhappy with himself.

The fact is that before the last match with the English the chances of the Portuguese on the continuation of the fight looked illusive - at a party, at Wembley, only victory was needed. The miracle did not happen, the founders of football won 2: 0, and dreams of the first mundiale had to be postponed for 4 years.

World Championship in England

At the next world championship, the Portuguese were confident, bypassing the group of teams of Romania, Czechoslovakia and Turkey. This World Cup was the first and only for Eusebio. Footballer made a significant contribution to the victory of the Portuguese in all three matches in the group stage, scoring three goals.

In the ¼ final, the Portuguese got a team-riddle - the DPRK team. And at first the game developed catastrophically. In the first minute, Park Son Gin opens the score, and by the 25th Portugal has lost 0: 3. In such a situation many would be desperate, but not Eusebio. He manages to make poker, with two goals from the forward striker from the penalty spot, a total of 5: 3, and Portugal in the semifinals.

In ½ the opponents are the hosts - the British. The Portuguese fight with dignity, but Bobby Charlton twice hit the gate. At the very end of Eusebio one ball wins back from the penalty spot. The result was the score 1: 2.

The overall result of the performance at that mundiale is the third place. In the match for bronze, the Portuguese defeat the USSR team. Another goal scores Eusebio. Statistics striker at that tournament is impressive, and with 9 goals, he becomes the top scorer.

Past the big tournaments

To the great regret of the fans, neither at the World Championships, nor at the European Championship Eusebio no longer played. The Portuguese regularly failed in the qualifying matches and did not get to the main football forums.

On the eve of Euro-1968 they won only one victory over the Norwegians in the selection, and on the eve of the World Championship-1970 lost in the group to the Romanians, Greeks and Swiss, being in last place.

At the end of the 70th - the beginning of the 71st the Portuguese tried to win back the Euro. In this cycle, Eusebio was first appointed captain of the team. We started successfully - with a victory over the Danes, but then the defeat was 0: 3 from the Belgians, who eventually won the group and won a ticket to the tournament. Eusebio played in all matches and scored two goals.

The last chance for Eusebio fell on the eve of the 1974 World Cup. The Portuguese started with two victories over Cyprus, but they were the only ones. Two draws with Northern Ireland and defeat in the decisive match against the Bulgarians did not allow the great football player to once again take part in the mundiale.

Career in the USA

Like many stars in our time, after a successful European triumph, Eusebio went overseas, into the American football league. He played for Boston Minuteman, Toronto Metros-Croix, Las Vegas Quicksilvers and New Jersey Americans. And the most successful career was in Toronto, for one season Eusebio scored 18 times and won the championship cup.

Having finished performing at a professional level, far from the game did not go away football player Eusebio. His biography describes life, and in the future it is connected with work with young pupils of Benfica, one of which was Rui Costa. Later Eusebio occupied administrative posts in the club, performing representative functions.

In 1992, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the great player, a monument to Eusebio was opened at the Benfica home stadium. Footballer, whose rating reached unprecedented values, rightly deserved such recognition.

There was a place and love in the life of Eusebio. The personal life of the athlete is connected with his wife Zenobia da Silva and two daughters - Sandra and Carla.

Tragedy for the whole country

Eusebio tried to keep track of his health. In 2007 he underwent an operation on the carotid artery to minimize the possibility of a stroke.

In late 2011 and early 2012, for several months, Eusebio was hospitalized with suspicion of pneumonia because of severe neck pain and high blood pressure. But then everything turned out.

Died Eusebio most recently - January 5, 2014. The cause is heart failure. The country was declared a mourning for 3 days, everyone honored the memory of the great striker Eusebio. Profile of the football player today includes a lot of achievements and awards, lacking only the most important - the title of world champion in football.

Eusebio died at the age of 72. Perhaps, this is the most famous Portuguese athlete in the world. With his fame is now trying to argue only Cristiano Ronaldo, but he recognizes the unprecedented greatness of his predecessor.

"Football has lost a legend," ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter reacted to the death of the Portuguese in his Twitter account . To say goodbye to the forward came tens of thousands of loyal fans. State flags were lowered on state buildings, all recreational activities in the country were canceled. So see off only the real idols. This was Eusebio - a football player with a capital letter.