Black Panther Eusebio passes away

Damascus: One of the greatest ever strikers in football history, Portuguese legend Eusebio passed away in his hometown at the age of 71, according to local media on Sunday.

The 'Black Panther', whose full name was Esuebio da Silva Ferreira was born in Mozambique but made his name as a fearsome striker for Portugal at the 1966 World Cup in England, where he top-scored with nine goals to help his team finish third.

He won the European Cup with Benfica in 1962 and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1965. The Portuguese sports daily A'Bola said Eusebio had died of a cardiac arrest in the early hours of Sunday morning. He had last travelled with the national team early in 2012 to Poland and was in the stands for the Euro 2012 quarter-final win over the Czech Republic, cheering alongside former Portugal captain Luis Figo. Eusebio’s coffin was to be taken to Benfica’s Stadium of Light later Sunday, public broadcaster Radiotelevisao Portuguesa reported.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugal captain who plays for Real Madrid, commented on his Facebook page, “Always eternal Eusebio, rest in peace.”

“On this sad day of (Eusebio’s) death ... I prefer to look upon him as immortal,” Chelsea’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho told RTP.