“Today there are no easy opponents”

Eusébio is one of the greatest living football legends. The Portuguese star talks to swissinfo about football, life and death.

Almost 40 years after Portugal came third in the World Cup, they are one of the favourites to win Euro 2008, which kicks off in Basel on June 7.

Eusébio’s face has hardly changed since the 1960s and 1970s, when he helped Portuguese club Benfica win the European Cup. Today, the “Black Panther” is still instantly recognisable.

His body however is not what it used to be, and the 66-year-old suffers from arthritis in his knees. The hundreds of games he played during his career, which included 727 goals, have taken their toll.

swissinfo: What are your hopes for Euro 2008 and how do you rate Portugal’s chances?

Eusébio: The European Football Championship is a great tournament, just as important as the World Cup. But Portugal’s group [Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Turkey] is tough – today there are no easy opponents.

As an ambassador for the Portuguese national team, I believe in these players. They have played together for some time. What’s more, the Portuguese community in Switzerland [at 193,000 the third-largest foreign community after the Italians and Serbs] will support us. I believe we’ll have a good tournament.

swissinfo: Will Switzerland be a tough opponent?

Eusébio: All teams that have qualified for Euro 2008 are tough [although Switzerland and Austria qualified automatically as hosts]. They all have players that have been able to develop in big clubs. Switzerland will also have the home advantage.

I respect the teams in our group, but I think Portugal will qualify for the quarterfinals.

swissinfo: Portugal have never won these championships, although they were runners-up in Euro 2004, which they hosted. Is there a lot of pressure to win the title this year?

Eusébio: I don’t think so. The pressure is on the hosts. The important thing is to have fun on the pitch, to respect one’s opponents and to win.

swissinfo: Is Cristiano Ronaldo the best player in the world?

Eusébio: At the moment I’d say it’s Kaká [the Brazilian midfielder who plays for AC Milan]. He was named Fifa World Player of the Year in 2007.

Cristiano Ronaldo is going through a good phase and I hope he will win the award this year. He’s currently in excellent form – he played a decisive role for Manchester United in their success in the English League and the Uefa Champions League. I hope he will be as successful for Portugal.

swissinfo: Is football today less spectacular than when you were playing?

Eusébio: You can’t compare the football of the 1960s with today’s game. We’re now in the 21st century and football has become a business. Today it is the brands that call the tune in football and television. In my time we played more for the love of our colours – although we also had to earn a bit of money.

I prefer those days: there were players who became key figures at an international level. I think players today are right to have their agents negotiate their salaries. They can play for ten years and become rich, since what they are doing is entertainment, they’re putting on a show.

swissinfo: You played during [the Portuguese] Salazar dictatorship and were unable to travel abroad. Salazar died in 1970 and is now forgotten. How do you feel about that?

Eusébio (laughs): That’s politics! Some people still talk about Salazar. They joke that he was my “godfather”! Sometimes I’m criticised when I say that Salazar loved Portugal.

I was born in Lourenço Marques, now Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. It’s true that he didn’t let me travel and play in Spain or Portugal and earn more money. If I was someone who hated people, I wouldn’t talk about him – but I’m not. Salazar loved his country and as far as I’m aware he never robbed anyone and died poor.

swissinfo: Do you also fear being forgotten?

Eusébio: No. I already know that people appreciate what I’ve done. Just over a year ago I had to undergo a serious operation – I would never have thought that so many people, all around the world, would be concerned about me.

I asked our president, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, to thank all the Portuguese on my behalf. When my time’s up, I think a lot of people will come to my funeral.

swissinfo-interview: Claudinê Gonçalves

Eusébio

Eusébio da Silva Ferreira was born in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique), in January 1942. He moved to Lisbon, Portugal, in his late teens and in 1961 joined Benfica, where he stayed until 1975.

Nicknamed “The Black Panther” or “The Black Pearl”, Eusébio scored 727 goals in 715 games.

In 1962 he won the European Cup with Benfica, scoring two goals in the final against Real Madrid. Benfica were also European Cup runners-up in 1963, 1965 and 1968.

Eusébio was the 1965 European Footballer of the Year and in 1968 the first winner of the Golden Boot as Europe’s leading scorer, a feat he repeated five years later.

He was the all-time leading scorer for Portugal, with 41 goals (in 64 matches), until Pauleta surpassed his record in 2005.

Eusébio made his debut for Portugal in 1961 and helped them come third at the 1966 World Cup.