[9] He was known for his speed, technique, athleticism and right-footed shot, making him a prolific goalscorer, accumulating 733 goals in 745 matches.

[8] Eusébio helped Portugal reach third place at the 1966 FIFA World Cup, being the top goalscorer of the tournament with nine goals.

He is the second-highest goalscorer, behind Alfredo Di Stéfano, in the pre-Champions League era of the European Cup with 48 goals.

His parents were Laurindo António da Silva Ferreira, a white railroad worker from Malanje, Portuguese Angola, and his wife Elisa Anissabeni, a black Mozambican woman.

His father, who also played football at his youth and supported Lisbon's SL Benfica and its affiliate team in Portuguese Mozambique, the Grupo Desportivo de Lourenço Marques, died from tetanus when Eusébio was eight years old in 1950, so the widowed Elisa almost exclusively raised young Eusébio alone.

[15] Absorbed by football since an early age, Eusébio studied until the 4th grade (concluded through a final exam when he was already in mainland Portugal where he would play for SL Benfica),[16][17][18] the only among his brothers and sisters without post-primary education.

[27] From 1957 to 1960, Eusébio scored a total of 77 goals in 42 appearances playing for the main team of Sporting Lourenço Marques.

[28] On 15 December 1960,[29] Eusébio arrived in Lisbon, when he was 18 years old, but he would only join Benfica in May 1961, already as an 19-year-old, after the transfer from his local club Sporting Lourenço Marques for 400,000 Portuguese escudos (equivalent to €193,219 in 2023)[30] was finally unlocked.

[18] The agreement to sign Eusébio with the Benfica's local representative (Rodrigues de Carvalho, a major)[15] had been mediated in Mozambique, in June 1960,[15] by one of Eusébio's brothers who was an engineer by training and intervened as an informal sports agent on the behalf of his brother, and included the payment of 250,000 Portuguese escudos to Elisa Anissabene, the mother of Eusébio (an initial offer of 110,000 escudos which raised to the final 250,000 escudos in November[15] amid growing interest from other football clubs).

[32][33][34] Benfica discovered Eusébio due to the efforts of Brazilian former player José Carlos Bauer, who saw him at Lourenço Marques in 1960.

Bauer had been asked by his former coach at São Paulo, Béla Guttmann, to keep an eye out for talented players during a ten-week tour to Africa, and when São Paulo could not afford the asking price for Eusébio, Bauer then recommended him to Guttmann, who was coaching Benfica at the time.

On behalf of Sporting CP, Hilário offered him an improved professional contract instead of a trial period at the club.

[43] Moreover, fearing a "kidnapping" attempt by Sporting CP, Benfica moved Eusébio on 8 April 1961 to a holiday home owned by Domingos Claudino, former president of Benfica, and an hotel near the Meia Praia beach, in Lagos, Algarve region, where he would remain for twelve days until the transfer upheaval calmed down (Eusébio was awarded his 4th grade diploma while he was hidden in the Algarve).

[18] The transferring of Eusébio's registration from Sporting Lourenço Marques to Benfica was concluded and he made his first appearance for them against Atlético Clube de Portugal in a friendly game on 23 May 1961.

The game was controversially scheduled for the day after the European Cup final against Barcelona and the Portuguese Football Federation did not postpone it.

On 10 June 1961, Eusébio played for the first time in the Primeira Divisão, the last match day against Belenenses, where he scored a goal in a 4–0 win.

In that same season, he won the European Cup, also scoring two goals in the final against Real Madrid in a 5–3 result to Benfica.

In October 1963, he was selected to represent the FIFA team in the "Golden Anniversary" of The Football Association at Wembley Stadium.

He also played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), for three different teams, from 1975 to 1977: Boston Minutemen (1975), Toronto Metros-Croatia (1976), and the Las Vegas Quicksilvers (1977).

By this time, injuries had taken their toll on the Black Panther, and he was constantly receiving medical treatment whilst playing for the Quicksilvers.

[52] Eusébio was the leading scorer for his country, with 41 goals in 64 matches, until Pauleta equalled and surpassed his record[4] against Latvia on 12 October 2005.

After Portugal qualified for the 1966 World Cup, they were drawn in Group 3, alongside Bulgaria, Hungary and the reigning champions Brazil.

With an injured Pelé, Portugal had no trouble in defeating them with two goals from Eusébio, including a famous volley from a tight angle after a corner kick.

It was rumoured that this had happened because of fear from English officials of the Portuguese performance and embarrassment if England lost in their own country with a debuting team.

Throughout the game Eusébio was closely marked by England's defensive midfielder Nobby Stiles, but still managed to score Portugal's only goal from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute, ending yet-to-be broken records of seven consecutive clean sheets and 708 minutes without conceding a goal for the English team.

Portugal won the game 2–1 to what remains their best ever World Cup participation, and the best performance by a team on its debut since Italy's victory in 1934.

In addition to winning the Golden Boot (with nine goals) for the 1966 World Cup, Eusébio also set a record that year for the most penalties scored (shoot-out not included), with four.

[59] Eusébio said he went to the Portuguese Parliament eight times to talk to António de Oliveira Salazar who ruled the country from 1932 to 1968 as the virtual dictator of the Estado Novo regime.

[61][62] Many well-known people from the football world expressed their condolences and praise, including his contemporaries Franz Beckenbauer and Bobby Charlton.

[4] Sporting de Lourenço Marques Benfica[103] Toronto Metros-Croatia Portugal Individual Orders General Specific