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Eusébio da Silva and Emilio Butragueño have more in common than you might initially think. Both were exceptional footballers, though the recognition they received was far from equal. At a historical level, any comparison between them would be absurd. And yet their performances at World Cups are directly comparable. Both Eusébio and Butragueño scored four goals in a single World Cup match — the Portuguese at England 1966, the Spaniard at Mexico 1986. Today, 15th July 2018, Portugal and Spain face each other at the World Cup. It feels like the perfect moment to revisit two of the greatest individual feats in either nation's World Cup history.
Eusébio da Silva, also known as 'The Black Panther', is considered by many to be the greatest footballer in Portugal's history. He is also one of the towering legends of Benfica and of European football. He never won with the national side the trophies he collected at club level in Lisbon. League titles and cups aplenty, but above all the European Cup of 1962 and the Ballon d'Or of 1968 stand out. His finest hour in a Portugal shirt came between those two great prizes, at the 1966 World Cup in England.
To be precise, that great moment came on 23rd July 1966 at Goodison Park, Liverpool. Portugal faced a surprising North Korea side in a quarter-final that had looked comfortable on paper for the Iberians. It was anything but. The Asian side had gone 3–0 up after just 25 minutes. What had promised to be a charming David vs Goliath story seemed to be writing itself — until Eusébio put a stop to it, scoring twice before half-time and hinting at what was to come.
After the interval, 'The Panther' continued his recital, scoring twice more to complete a stunning comeback in a match Portugal had been on the brink of losing. Late on, Augusto added the fifth to make it 5–3. The game served as a permanent reminder of a combative North Korea side that very nearly knocked out one of the world's finest teams. And above all, it gave us an imperial Eusébio — four goals to turn the match on its head and carry his country to third place, their best ever World Cup finish.
Almost 20 years later and more than 8,000 kilometres away, Emilio Butragueño — legend of Real Madrid and the Spanish national side — managed a comparable feat. It was 18th June 1986, and Spain faced Denmark in the last 16 at the Estadio Corregidora in Querétaro. Denmark were among the tournament's form teams, marshalled by a Michael Laudrup who would prove powerless against the tenacity of 'The Vulture'. The emerging Madrid star was about to announce himself to the world.
Butragueño did something remarkably similar to what Eusébio had done against North Korea twenty years earlier. The shape of the match was similar too — Denmark went ahead, just as the Asians had done, though this time by just one goal. Just before half-time, Butragueño equalised — a goal that was as much psychological as anything else, with the Danes heading into the interval believing they led. On the restart, 'El Buitre' made it 1–2 for Spain. Amid the madridista's show, Goikoetxea chipped in to make it 1–3, but this barely registered with a Butragueño who went on to complete the rout with goals for 1–4 and the definitive 1–5. The little white midfielder had placed himself in the same legendary bracket as Eusébio.
On the face of it, Eusébio and Butragueño have little in common. And yet 'The Panther' and 'The Vulture' share a place in World Cup history — and in the history of their respective nations — having each achieved the same remarkable feat: four goals in a single match at the knockout stage. Twenty years apart, two exploits that will always be remembered by supporters of both countries, even as greater achievements have since followed. Portugal and Spain face each other in the group stage of the Russia World Cup with both legends very much in mind. And rightly so — because 'The Panther' and 'The Vulture' are World Cup history.
Written by Javier Siñeriz
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