Respect... Fans gather around the bronze statue of late Benfica legend Eusebio in front of the Luz stadium in Lisbon. (Getty)
Portugal great Eusebio, acknowledged as one of football's greatest strikers of all time, has died at 71, the Portuguese media reported.
READ TWG blogger Vitor Sobral's special tribute to Eusebio on Tuesday
Portuguese sports daily A Bola said Eusebio had died of a cardiac arrest in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The “Black Panther”, whose full name was Eusebio 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 went on to score 41 goals in 64 appearances for Portugal.
He won the European Cup in 1962 when he scored twice in his club Benfica's 5-3 win over Real Madrid.
He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1965.
