14 October 2005, by Tom Kundert

Pauleta: “Eusébio will always be king”

Striker dedicates landmark to family and sick Torres

Having overtaken the legendary Eusébio as Portugal’s all-time top scorer, Pauleta dedicated his feat to his family and also to former Portugal striker José Torres, who is seriously ill with Alzheimer’s disease.

The PSG striker, nicknamed the “Azorean hurricane”, scored twice in the final World Cup qualifier against Latvia, taking his tally since making his debut for the Portuguese national team in August 1997 to 42 from 77 appearances.

“I would like to dedicate this achievement to my wife, children and family. They know how important it is to me to pull on this shirt and to score goals while wearing it,” he said.

“I would also like to say a word for a great Portuguese striker who was also national coach and who is going through difficult moments in terms of his health - José Torres. I also dedicate my goals to him, because he scored a lot for the national team.”

Pauleta was inevitably asked about how he felt supplanting Eusébio as Portugal’s goal king. “Eusébio will always be the king in Portugal. He is a national symbol. There is only one Eusébio. We all love him,” said the 32-year-old, who has never played in the top flight of Portuguese football.

Eusébio, considered by many as the best out-and-out striker the world has ever seen, scored 41 goals from 64 games for the national team in the 1960s and early 70s.

The Benfica striker was top scorer in the 1966 World Cup, scoring ten goals in Portugal’s run to the semi-finals, where they were beaten by eventual champions and hosts, England.