LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s national news agency Lusa says soccer great Eusebio has died of heart failure.
The agency quoted unnamed sources at Benfica, Eusebio’s longtime club, saying the 71-year-old retired player died early Sunday.
Officals at Benfica and at the Portuguese Football Federation, where Eusebio was an ambassador, could not immediately be reached.
Eusebio was admitted to hospital several times over the past year for the treatment of heart and respiratory problems.
Eusebio da Silva Ferreira became affectionately known as the Black Panther for his athletic prowess and clinical finishing that made him one of the world’s top scorers during his heyday in the 1960s for Benfica and the Portuguese national team.
