Who Is Eusebio? Benfica Legend Who Mourinho Dragged Into Vinicius Racism Row

Benfica’s 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night should have been discussed due to the wonderful goal scored by Vinicius. Instead, it became marred by the latest instance of racism in football, with Vinicius accusing Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni of using a racial slur against him.

While Real Madrid’s players and staff ferociously backed Vinicius, Benfica chose to stand by Prestianni. Head coach Jose Mourinho, questioning Vinicius’s allegations in his post-match interview, namechecked the legendary Eusebio in his defence of Benfica.

“When he (Vinicius) was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person in the history of this club (Eusebio) was black,” Mourinho said. “This club, the last thing that it is, is racist. If in his mind there was something in relation to that, this is Benfica.”

Even Benfica, in a statement released later in support of Prestianni, used Eusebio’s name to deny the charges of racism.

“The Club reaffirms, clearly and unequivocally, its historical and unwavering commitment to defending the values of equality, respect, and inclusion,” the statement read, “which align with the core values of its foundation and which have Eusébio as their greatest symbol.”

Naturally, both statements have been criticised by members of the footballing community, including former players, with Micah Richards saying that he was “disappointed”. However, let’s see who Eusebio was and why his legacy is important in this scenario.

Who Is Eusebio?

Considered one of the best players to come out of Portugal, Eusebio is Benfica’s all-time top goalscorer with 317 goals in 301 matches. The striker, who was nicknamed the “Black Panther”, also represented Portugal 64 times, scoring an astonishing 41 goals.

However, Eusebio de Silva Ferreira was actually born and raised in the African country of Mozambique, which was then a Portuguese colony. When he arrived in Europe in 1960, he signed for Benfica, forging his legendary career with the Eagles.

Other than his goalscoring exploits, Eusebio also won the Ballon d’Or in 1965 and guided Portugal to a third-placed finish in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. At the club level, he wont he Portuguese Primeira Liga 11 times with Benfica, one European Cup, and several domestic cups.

Following his death in 2014, a statue of Eusebio was erected outside the Estadio da Luz, cementing his status as Benfica’s greatest player ever, and one of the best to play the beautiful game.