Eusébio was one of football’s first global superstars, a Mozambique-born forward whose explosive pace and cannonball shot made him the emblem of Benfica’s golden age. Across the 1960s he led the Lisbon club to domestic dominance and a European Cup, scoring goals at a bewildering rate.
Known as the Black Panther, he crowned the 1966 World Cup as its leading scorer, carrying Portugal to the semi-finals almost single-handedly and weeping openly as they fell. His combination of power and grace set a standard that generations of forwards would chase.
A Ballon d’Or winner and Benfica’s eternal icon, he remained the greatest player his country produced until the modern age, honoured with a statue outside the stadium he made his own.