The tenth winner of the "Golden Ball" - Eusebio

TenthGolden Ball winner - Eusebio

The Portuguese finally reached the top of the ranking in 1965

After already 20-year-old Eusebio managed to impress the whole of football Europe, but was left behind the Czech Josef Masopust in the ranking for the "Golden Ball" in 1962, the Portuguese striker received the individual award three years later. His goalscoring skills, beautiful performances and contribution to Benfica and the Portugal national team earned him this award on 28th December 1965.

Eusebio collects 67 points in the standings, ahead of the winner of the European Champions Cup for the second consecutive year with Inter Giacinto Facchetti, as well as his team-mate Luis Suarez. The Spaniard is in the top 3 for the second consecutive year and third overall since his triumph in the Ballon d'Or in 1960. 16 of the 21 journalists who had the right to vote put Eusebio in the top 5. Nine people chose him as first, three as second, three as third and one as fifth. Facetti remains 18 points from the top position with only 3 first places, eight second places and four fourth places. Luis Suarez deserved the award the most according to four of the voters, three left him second, three third and two - in fourth place, with which the Spaniard collects 45 points. The trio in 1965 stood out significantly from the rest. Paul Van Himst from Anderlecht remains outside it with only 25 points, and Bobby Charlton is fifth with 19.

There is a Bulgarian representative in this arrangement and his name is Georgi Asparuhov. Known by his nickname "Gundy", Asparuhov collects 9 points and remains in eighth place, which is the best ranking for a Bulgarian in the Golden Ball standings. Gundy has as many points as one of Inter's top scorers Alessandro Mazzola and the best player from the USSR Valery Voronin.

But what makes Eusebio more than its competitors. It is clear that his prize is not due to great success at club level with Benfica. However, the "Lisbon Eagles" easily won the title in Portugal for the third season in a row and played in the final in the CAS. In this competition, Benfica trailed Inter 0:1, but Eusebio and his teammate Jose Augusto Torres are the top scorers of the competition with 9 goals each. Only 2 more than Nikola Kotkov, who with his Lokomotiv Sofia makes remarkable matches in the competition. Some of Eusebio's goals are extremely beautiful and seem much more important than those of Torres. He scored twice for Real Madrid in a 5-1 first quarter-final win, and in the second he kept the Santiago Bernabeu quiet, leveling at 1-1 just before the end of the first half to kill any hope the Whites had. to look for a sensational twist. Eusebio also scored two goals for Vasas in the second leg of the semi-finals, won 4:0 by Benfica. In addition, the striker is also the top scorer in the Portuguese championship, scoring 28 of the 88 goals for his team.

Facetti and Luis Suarez have also made a huge contribution to Inter, but it is rather the Nerazzurri's team play that has brought the team great success and, above all, a second European crown in a row. The left-back is clearly above the rest of his teammates, but it is difficult for a defender, even with a strong affinity for the attack, to break into the first place in such a ranking.

The Ballon d'Or award for the best European football player in 1965 once again went to a player who delighted fans, journalists, experts and even opponents. Eusebio is the man who does wonders for Benfica to shine on the European stage and he keeps improving.