Soccer great Eusebio dies, age 71

Eusebio, considered one of the greatest soccer players in the sport's history and a national icon in both Mozambique — the country of his birth — and Portugal, which he called his "second homeland," died Sunday at the age of 71.

Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, who died of heart failure at his Lisbon home, was affectionately known as "the Black Panther" for his athletic prowess and clinical finishing, which made him one of the world's top scorers during his heyday in the 1960s, playing for Portuguese club Benfica and the Portuguese national team.

Arguably his most famous goals — forever etched in Portuguese memory — were those he scored against North Korea in the quarterfinals of the 1966 World Cup. With Portugal trailing 0-3, Eusebio inspired a miraculous turnaround with four goals for an eventual 5-3 victory.

His biographer Jose Malheiro said Eusebio’s health had been "very poor” and that he was admitted to the hospital several times over the past year for the treatment of heart and respiratory problems.

Born in poverty in Mozambique, Eusebio became an international sporting icon and in 1998 was voted into the International Football Hall of Fame as one of the 10 best players of all time, according to a panel of 100 experts assembled by FIFA, football's world governing body

"Look, there are only two black people on the list — me and Pele," Eusebio commented on the honor, referring to the Brazilian great, who was a friend. "I regard that as a great responsibility because I am representing Africa and Portugal, my second homeland."

Eusebio was born in Maputo, the Mozambican capital, during World War II when the southeast African country was still a Portuguese colony. He sparkled for his local team and was lured to Portugal by the club Benfica when he was 18.

For the Portuguese, he was a national hero. Known for his unpretentious and easy manner as well as his courage and ball skills, his popularity in Portugal was such that in 1964, when Italian clubs offered to buy Eusebio for sums that were astronomical for the time, the country's then-dictator, Antonio Salazar, decreed that the player was a "national treasure" — meaning that Eusebio could not be sold abroad.

"We will remember his talent, his example, his character, which marked Portuguese football and which established him as a global benchmark for football," Benfica said in a statement.

"His death is a great loss ... for everything he represented globally," said Luis Figo, a former Portuguese national team captain. "He was close to national players, always ready to help and offer words of comfort. He leaves behind a great void."

The Portuguese government has decreed three days of national mourning, with flags flying at half-staff, and the Portuguese Football Federation ordered a minute's silence before Sunday's Portuguese Cup games.

President Anibal Cavaco Silva made a nationally televised address to praise the "affability and humility" of a man who never let stardom go to his head. "His talent brought joy for entire generations, even those who didn't live through the most glorious moments of his career," Cavaco Silva said.

At the 1966 World Cup, where Portugal lost in the semifinals to the host and eventual champion, England, Eusebio became even more popular at home when he wept openly as he left the field after the defeat. He finished as the tournament's top scorer, with nine goals.

Eusebio won the European Cup with Benfica in 1962. His Benfica team won 10 league championships during his 15 years with the club. And he was Portugal's top league scorer seven times. He was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1965 as Europe's player of the year and twice won the Golden Boot — in 1968 and 1973 — for being the top scorer in Europe. According to FIFA, he scored 679 goals in a total of 678 official games.

After five knee operations, he played his last game for Benfica in 1975. Eusebio then moved to North America where he spent the last years of his career playing for the Boston Minutemen, Toronto Metros, Las Vegas Quicksilver and Buffalo Stallions through 1980.

Eusebio is survived by his wife, Flora, two daughters and several grandchildren.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press