Pele pays tribute to 'brother' Eusebio

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Pele pays tribute to 'brother' Eusebio

By Harry Slavin22
Jan 5, 2014 10:18:00 PM

One of the world's greatest ever players is the latest to share his condolences with the former Portugal striker's family

Brazil legend Pele has paid tribute to the Portugal great Eusebio, who died aged 71 on Sunday.

Eusebio, considered as one of the greatest players of all time, was renowned as a formidable forward and his 733 goals in 745 professional matches led to four European Cup finals and the European Footballer of the Year award in 1965.

However, it was probably his performance at the 1966 World Cup that saw the Mozambique-born striker gain world-beater status, as he netted nine times to take Portugal all the way to the semi-finals, including four in one match against North Korea.

It was at the same tournament that Eusebio and Pele originally struck up their friendship too, the former scoring twice as Portugal beat Brazil 3-1 at Goodison Park, and the Brazilian took to Twitter to express his sadness at the loss of a close friend.

"Mourning the death of Eusebio, a brother to me," the three-time World Cup winner wrote, alongside a picture of the pair together on the pitch.

"We became friends in England in the 1966 World Cup. I last saw him at the recent Brazil-Portugal match in Boston.

"My condolences to his loved ones. May God receive him with open arms."