TRIBUTE
TO A TRUE LEGEND
(First
published in the Scottish Daily Mail)
BY
JIM BLACK
HE
was born Eusebio da Silva Ferreira into poverty in the Portuguese colony of
Mozambique on January 25 1942.
To
the rest of the world he was simply Eusebio - aka The Black Panther and the
Black Pearl.
The
latter nickname fitted him best, for he was a sparkling gem in a generation
encrusted with great players.
Unquestionably
one of the greatest of them all, Eusebio died yesterday at the age of 71 of
heart failure.
He
had been in ill-health for some time with heart and respiratory problems and
his passing was not entirely unexpected. But the news that the beautiful game
had lost one of its most talented entertainers came as a shock all the same.
But
while the football world mourns the passing of one of the sport’s true
gentlemen it will also take time to reflect on the skills and remarkable
achievements of a man who whose ready smile and modest personality instantly
endeared him to all who had the good fortune to encounter him.
I
was not one of those fortunate enough to know Eusebio but I had the privilege
to see him perform in the flesh, as it were, when Celtic were drawn to play
Benfica in the European Cup in November 1969 on their way to a second final.
That
was in the days before I became a fan with a typewriter and it was perhaps only
my second visit to Celtic Park.
I
had gone there from my home in Arbroath with a close pal and died-in-the-wool
Celtic fan not to offer my support to the Hoops but simply to marvel at the
skills of a player who 18 months earlier had thrilled millions of TV viewers in
a classic final against Manchester United.
History
records that the Red Devils beat The Eagles 4-1 in extra-time after Eusebio had
the chance to snatch the winner in regulation play.
But
my abiding memory of that May evening at Wembley was not of Eusebio’s missed
opportunity but rather his graceful acknowledgement of Alex Stepney’s
remarkable save when he stopped to applaud the goalkeeper in recognition of his
accomplishment.
They
say that it is sometimes best never to encounter your heroes up close and maybe
there is some truth in that, for, regrettably - for whatever reason - the
Eusebio who faced Celtic that evening at the age of still only 27 did not light
up the stadium in his customary fashion.
Perhaps
by then he had been hacked down once too often in his career by unscrupulous
defenders hell bent on negating his threat by fair means or foul.
The
Black Panther was still blessed with an electrifying burst of speed, wonderful
technique and athleticism, but it turned out to be an occasion when dour
defending won over God-given skills.
Celtic
were simply devastating and Benfica were forced to withdraw Eusebio at the
interval so as to switch to a defensive formation in an effort to contain their
rampant rivals.
In
the end, they settled for three goals, but with Eusebio sparking a shock
revival in the return in Lisbon by scoring the opener, Celtic’s fate rested on
Billy McNeill guessing correctly on the toss of a coin!
It
later transpired that Jimmy Johnstone had tried to persuade Eusebio to sign for
Celtic.
The
thought of Eusebio gracing Scottish football’s stage in partnership with Jinky
makes the hairs on the back of one’s head stand up even now.
For
Eusebio later said in praise of the winger: “I am sure I would have scored many
more goals with Jimmy supplying the crosses, because he was one of the best
players in the world.”
Eusebio
also formed a close friendship with another great Scot, the late Jim Baxter
adding credence to the suggestion that the man voted the ninth best player of
all time in a millennium poll liked a drink and knew how to enjoy himself away
from the pitch!
But
it is as a footballer player of rare genius that Eusebio will best be
remembered for his many achievements in a 15 year career with Benfica, whom he
joined in 1960 from Sporting de Lorrenco Marques, a feeder club for the
Portuguese giants.
His
many honours are too long to list individually here but among his achievements
were 11 league titles, five Portuguese Cup triumphs, the European Cup in 1962,
in addition to three other finals, European Player of the Year in 1965 and
Europe’s Golden Boot winner in 1968 and 1973.
Eusebio
also scored a staggering 679 goals - most with his ferocious right foot - in
678 official matches in a 22 year career, which included a spell in North
America before a persistent knee injury forced his retirement. He is also
Benfica’s all-time record scorer with 638 in 614 appearances.
He
played for Portugal on 64 occasions, scoring 41 times, and helped his country
to third place in the 1966 World Cup finals in England where they lost to the
host nation in the semi-finals.
Eusebio,
who began playing the game in his bare feet at the age of eight, was also top
scorer in the tournament with nine goals, four of them in one game against
North Korea
From
his retirement until his death at his Lisbon home in the early hours of Sunday
he was one of the football’s foremost ambassadors, praised worldwide for his
sense of fair play and humbleness.
Last
night as the legends of the game queued up to pay tribute to one of their own,
the words of Eusebio’s Benfica and Portugal team-mate and close friend Antonio
Simoes summed up the man’s brilliance, influence and phenomenal goal-scoring
prowess.
“With
Eusebio we could be European champions,” said Simoes “without him maybe we
could win the league.”
It
is an indication of the esteem in which Eusebio is held the Portuguese
government has decreed three days of national mourning with flags flying at
half mast.
As
a further mark of respect Eusebio’s coffin was taken to Benfica’s Stadium of
Light to allow his tens of thousands of fans to pay homage to “Africa’s first
great footballer and the greatest ever.”
