펠레와 더불어 역대 최고의 축구선수로 꼽히는 에우제비오가 5일 71세의 나이로 별세했다.
포르투갈 루사 통신에 따르면 에우제비오 다 실바 페헤이라는 심장질환과 합병증으로 투병하다 이날 오전 포르투갈 디르주에서 숨졌다.
에우제비오는 포르투갈의 전설적인 축구선수로 브라질의 펠레와 함께 1960~70년대 세계 축구의 최고 공격수로 꼽혔다. 벤피카 소속으로 뛰며 1965년 ‘올해의 유럽 축구선수 상’과 ‘FIFA 발롱도르’를 받은 바 있다.
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Football great Eusebio dies at 71 of heart failure
Eusebio's stellar football career for club and country included several sensational performances which are still remembered half a century later.
In an epic European Cup final against Real Madrid in 1962, when a first-half hat trick by Ferenc Puskas looked enough to secure the trophy for the Spanish club, Eusebio scored the last two goals as Benfica fought back to win 5-3 and clinch its second straight continental title.
But none of Eusebio’s goals were more famous than those he scored against North Korea in the quarterfinals of the 1966 World Cup. With Portugal trailing 3-0, Eusebio inspired his team's turnaround with four goals and an eventual 5-3 victory.
Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, who died Sunday aged 71, became affectionately known as the Black Panther for his athletic prowess and clinical finishing that made him one of the world’s top scorers during his heyday in the 1960s for Benfica and the Portuguese national team.
Eusebio died at his Lisbon home of heart failure at 3.30 a.m. local time Sunday, his biographer Jose Malheiro said. "His health was very poor," Malheiro told reporters. Eusebio was admitted to hospital several times over the past year for the treatment of heart and respiratory problems. Benfica confirmed his death.
Born into poverty in Africa, Eusebio became an international sporting icon and was voted one of the 10 best players of all time. For the Portuguese, he was a national hero.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugal captain who plays for Real Madrid, commented on his Facebook page, "Always eternal Eusebio, rest in peace." Former Portugal captain Luis Figo, the 2001 FIFA world player of the year, tweeted, "The king!! Great loss for us all! The greatest!!"
"On this sad day of (Eusebio's) death ... I prefer to look upon him as immortal," Chelsea’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho told public broadcaster Radiotelevisao Portuguesa.
The Portuguese government decreed three days of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast. The Portuguese Football Federation ordered a minute's silence ahead of Sunday’s Portuguese Cup games. (AP)
