Top 5 Football players who did not play for their home country

Deco played for Portugal Clarence Seedorf - AC Milan v Parma FC
Deco played for Portugal Clarence Seedorf - AC Milan v Parma FC

#1 Eusebio

Portugal v Turkey - Group A Euro 2008
Portugal v Turkey - Group A Euro 2008

Eusebio Ferreira Da Silva is the most prominent football player ever to come from Africa. Before Cristiano Ronaldo attained prominence, he was Portugal's greatest ever player. He was born in Mozambique but relocated to Portugal at a very young age.

Eusebio made his debut in 1961 and went on to play as a striker. In this role, he scored 41 goals in 64 matches for Portugal.

He was resilient, hardworking and was admired for his menacing shot-making ability. Da Silva played alongside Mario Coluna for the Portuguese club Benfica.

He won one European Cup and 11 Portuguese titles with Benfica where he scored 473 goals in 440 games. His prolific ability made him a popular star of his time.

He helped Portugal win their solitary medal in World Cup history. Da Silva scored 34 hat-tricks in his football career and was awarded him the Ballon d’Or in 1965, but he lost to Bobby Charlton in 1966. He also won the Golden Boot in the 1966 World Cup in

IFFHS and World Soccer adjudged him the ninth and tenth greatest football player of the century, respectively. He was fondly known as 'Black Panther' and the 'Black Pearl.'

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now