How Eusebio became an English hero

In the summer of 1966, England, as a nation, rejoiced. The inhabitants had seen their football team take on the world in their own backyard and emerge victorious.

The bedroom walls of children up and down the country would be covered in posters of Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and the like for years to come. They would, however, be accompanied by a Mozambique-born striker who represented Portugal.

Eusebio da Silva Ferreira ended the tournament with nine goals to his name, earning himself the coveted Golden Boot award in the process as the Portuguese team finished third. He found the net against the defending champions and the eventual winners, although his best was to come during a quarter-final tie against North Korea.

Going into the competition, Eusebio had plundered in 200 goals during six seasons with Benfica. Remember, though, this was at a time when we were not entranced by 24-hour, wall-to-wall sports news. Live English matches were few and far between, let alone those from overseas. The frontman was largely an unknown quantity.

However, there will have been some English supporters who had seen 'The Black Panther' in the flesh following his goal during Benfica's 2-1 European Cup final defeat to AC Milan at Wembley in 1963. Those who remained in the dark as to his capabilities would be enlightened three years later.

After a quiet performance in the opening group match against Hungary, Eusebio fired in his first goal of the competition against Bulgaria, before notching a brace against Pele's Brazil, who had won the previous two World Cups, in front of 62,000 spectators at Goodison Park. It would be the start of his love affair with not just England, but Merseyside in particular.

Three wins from three sent Portugal into the last eight, where they would meet the unexpected package that was North Korea, again at the home of Everton. The Koreans raced into a three-goal lead within the first 25 minutes, but four goals in a 32-minute spell from Eusebio overturned that deficit, with the Portuguese eventually winning through 5-3.

Speaking to Everton's official website four years ago, Eusebio said: "I have got very fond memories of this particular stadium because I scored four goals against Korea and two against Brazil.

"When I was having lunch with the Everton board, I was remembering the occasion because it was at that point that I felt I became a world-class player. That was my signature, really, as a top quality player."

The semi-finals paired Portugal with hosts England and although Eusebio shone, his goal from the penalty spot was not enough as they lost out 2-1, with his future friend Charlton scoring twice. Eusebio left the Wembley turf in tears, but he regained his composure to score again during a 2-1 win over the Soviet Union to seal third spot. From that moment on, he would be revered by the English public.

Two years later, Eusebio, if possible, further enhanced his reputation among the folk from these shores. His Benfica team had reached the final of the 1968 European Cup at Wembley, where they would take on Manchester United. With the score level at 1-1, Eusebio had the chance to win the game for his club, but his powerful shot was stopped by Alex Stepney, much to the striker's astonishment.

So surprised, he stood inside the penalty area and applauded the United goalkeeper as play continued. United, inspired by Charlton, went on to win 4-1 after extra time and so Euesbio had been toppled by the English, who admired him greatly, again.

The news of Eusebio's passing earlier today has been met with great sadness across the globe, none more so than those in England who witnessed him first-hand during the 1960s.