One week prior to Benfica’s victory in Berne, another African import made his league debut for Guttmann’s side. He would go on to become the greatest player in the club’s history, lead them to three European Cup finals before the decade was out, and win the Golden Boot at the 1966 World Cup. He was, of course, Eusébio, the Black Pearl, and it all began with a chance meeting in a barber shop.

The balding Guttmann was getting his scalped oiled when he met José Carlos Bauer, a former player of his at Sao Paulo. Bauer was the coach of Ferroviária de Araraquara, now a fourth division side but at the time competing in the Campeonato Paulista first division in Brazil. Bauer was about to embark on a tour of Africa with his team, and Guttmann casually asked him to keep an eye out for any promising talents.

‘A month after this conversation, I was at the barber’s again, and as if I was telling you a joke, Bauer came in again.’ said Guttmann. ‘What’s up? Have you found anyone for me?’ ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘I saw a black lad in Mozambique … I wanted to get him for myself … but those fools are asking for twenty thousand dollars for him!’ ‘What’s the lad called?’ His face was being lathered as he blurted out: ‘Eusébio!’’^

Eusébio was playing for Sporting Club’s feeder club, Sporting Club Lourenço Marques, having joined them at 11. In his trial he had to use a discarded football boot, for his shooting foot as he had none of his own. As Bauer noted he had originally tried to sign Eusébio himself, but could not meet the asking price. Guttmann flew to Mozambique to see Eusébio for himself and wasted no time in meeting the 500,000 escudos price tag (around $20,000). A large amount for an unproven talent, no doubt, but small change compared to what he would be worth in future years.

It wouldn’t fit the era, were there not a tug of war for an arriving superstar, and Sporting were incredulous that their bitter rivals had snuck in and stolen a player from their own feeder club, for which they believed had legal rights to. A Sporting Director offered Eusébio 500,000 escudos himself to reverse his decision but he refused, Guttmann had already agreed on a contract worth double what Coluna was getting, his highest earner at the time. Whilst the wrangling was ongoing, Eusébio flew to Portugal in December 1960 and Benfica hid him away in the Algarve, checking him in under the pseudonym of Ruth Malosso, to avoid any further inducements from Sporting. It took five months before he officially was confirmed as a Benfica player and by that point it was too late to register him for the latter stages of the European Cup.

Eusébio never travelled to Switzerland with the squad, like he had in previous rounds, because of a cup match against Vitória de Setúbal, that the Portuguese FA would not reschedule. Making his competitive debut, Eusébio, scored but also had a penalty saved, one of only three in his career. The goalkeeper? Felix Mourinho, father of Jose.^

Prior to the start of their European Cup defence, Benfica faced Peñarol in the Intercontinental Cup. Because of the strange competition rules, the Championship had to be decided in a third game, after both teams had traded wins, Benfica winning 1-0 in Lisbon, Peñarol, 5-0 in Uruguay. Each game was two points for a win regardless of how big it was and so a third match was needed to be held two days after the second leg in Montevideo. Eusébio had not played in either match, but after the 5-0 drubbing, Guttmann, had him promptly flown out to South America, and he had an immediate impact, grabbing the equalizer. It was not enough, however, as Juan Sasia’s brace saw the title go to South America for the first time.

The 1961/62 European Cup saw the return of Juventus and the first appearance of Tottenham Hotspur. Both clubs would play a part in two classic ties but ultimately neither would reach the final in Amsterdam. English representation had taken a hit since Munich and whilst Burnley had performed admirably in the season previous, there was much cause for optimism that Bill Nicholson’s history making Spurs team could become the first English finalists. Led by a Celtic core of Danny Blanchflower, the classy Northern Irish captain, the flying Welsh winger, Cliff Jones and the three Scots of Bobby Brown in goal, John White, another winger who ghosted past defenders and was nicknamed thus and the indomitable driving presence of Dave Mackay. The attack was spearheaded by a classic English number 9, Bobby Smith. Spurs had become the first side in the 20th century to complete ‘the double’, winning the league by a healthy eight point margin, in a 2pts for a win era.

They were easy on the eye too, playing in the ‘push and run’ style developed by former coach Arthur Rowe in the early 50s. And then there was the White Hart Lane factor. British crowds developed a fondness for European football right from the beginning, and the raucous home crowd, sucking the ball into the back of the net, was none more apparent than during Spurs run in 60/61. In their first match in the preliminary round, Spurs found themselves with an uphill battle. After being 4-0 down in the away leg to Polish champions Górnik Zabrze, a couple of late goals had given them some hope before the second leg in North London. Fears of an embarrassing early exit, were quickly assuaged with Blanchflower and Jones overturning the deficit in 20 minutes. In the end Spurs won 8-1. A 3-1 win in Rotterdam, before a 1-1 tie at home saw them overcome Feyenoord and in the Quarters they faced a Dukla Pragueside that featured four players who would start the 1962 World Cup final later that year, most notably Josef Masopust who would be named European Footballer of the Year. After a 1-0 defeat in Czechoslovakia, braces from Smith and Mackay ensured a 4-1 win in North London and a place in the semi-finals. Spurs had made a habit of second-leg comebacks at home.

Nicholson had been in attendance in Berne to see Benfica win their first title, and he would get his chance to take on Guttmann in the last four as the draw paired Spurs with Benfica. The Eagles were showing the confidence that comes with being champions and with the addition of Eusébio, they were a formidable force in the early rounds. Similar to Spurs, they had been weaker in second legs but irresistible at home, putting five past Austria Vienna in the first round and six past Nurnberg, following a 1-1 tie and 3-1 defeat, respectively. Eusébio had wasted no time settling in and had already scored three goals in the tournament. Spurs by now had their own superstar striker after ending Jimmy Greaves’ miserable six month stay in Milan, by breaking the British transfer record to bring him back to London. Milan were happy to let him go with Vice-president Mimmo Carrara, stating Greaves as ‘playing not only below the standard expectation of the crack-scorer you are supposed to be, but even worse than the last player of our Division.’^ Greaves was Milan’s top scorer and second in Serie A. High standards clearly expected from the Rossoneri. In truth, the move worked out for both parties, Greaves would go on to become Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer, and remains the highest goalscorer in English top-flight history. Were it not for an injury in England’s third group game of the 1966 World Cup, and him subsequently losing his place in the starting XI, he may well have achieved greater acclaim within and beyond British shores.

The beauty of sport is the excitement of anticipation in the ability to remove subjectivity. It is what Hanot had in mind when he wrote his editorial: the determination to separate fact from speculation. Benfica v Spurs was this idea manifested. Contrasting styles and contrasting environments clashing to determine a victor. The beautifully manicured field and wide sweeping bowl of the Estadio de Luz, contrasting with tight stands and the mud of White Hart Lane. The irresistible force meeting the immovable object. The challenger versus the Champion. Someone HAD to win.

Nicholson went for a cautious approach in Lisbon, against his team’s natural instinct, moving Tony Marchi from midfield back to add more numbers to his defence. Despite a solid start with a goal by Greaves on his European debut disallowed, Spurs found themselves 2-0 behind inside 20 minutes. Simoes and Augusto the goalscorers, although neither was a strike to befit the occasion. The Lilywhites responded well in the second period and Smith scored 10 minutes after the restart. At this point Spurs looked poised to tie the game, attack after attack followed and then… Augusto made it 3-1 to Benfica. It would take a number of years for British clubs to learn the nuances of European football, the management of a game, the value of the counter-attack. Smith’s goal did, however, provide hope and set the stage for an epic encounter in London, the greatest European Cup tie on British soil since United met Bilbao in 1957.

Guttmann had been concerned about the wall of noise his players would face at White Hart Lane so he deliberately waited until the last minute before sending them out to ensure they wouldn’t have time to worry about getting intimidated with the game kicking off. It worked and Benfica silenced the crowd after 15 minutes. Águas, again proving his worth with the goal. Spurs were now 4-1 down. Greaves pulled one back only for the referee to reverse his decision after consultation with his linesman but as the match was slipping away from Tottenham, the tie flipped following two goals either side of half-time. On 35 minutes Smith controlled a ball out of the air, let it bounce and volleyed home to give something for Nicholson to build his half-time team-talk around, then, early in the second-half, John White, who would die tragically two years later when he was struck by lightning on a golf course, was brought down by Coluna for a penalty. Blanchflower dispatched and Spurs now only needed one goal to tie it up. The goal would never come.

Costa Pereira, the third Mozambique man in the team, was outstanding in the Benfica goal. In the last minute, Mackay beat him, but his flashing header hit the bar and bounced over. Benfica were in the final again, against Spanish opposition again. Spurs would have their European moment of glory the following year, when they defeated Atletico Madrid 5-1 in the Cup Winners’ Cup Final to become the first British team to win a European trophy.

Rumours of Real Madrid’s demise had been greatly exaggerated. We can look back at history and recognise Hampden as the Apex of their glorious run, and though the cracks had started to appear as their aura of invincibility faded away into the floodlit night, they still had only lost one knockout tie in six seasons. Their formidable home record would go this season as well, but by the time they arrived in Amsterdam for the 1962 European Cup final, few would have been surprised if the old gang pulled off one last job.

Real strolled to the 1961 La Liga title, winning by 12 points over Atletico and the beginning of a five-in-a-row stretch of league wins. Di Stéfano was 35 by now, Puskás 34 but they were still capable of decisive moments. The latter missed the away leg of their prelim round tie against Vasas of Budapest. Returning to Hungary was not a safe option for him due to the potential death threats mentioned previously. To illustrate his fall from grace in the eyes of the Hungarian establishment, the second-leg in Madrid was not covered by Magyar Radio so as to avoid mentioning Puskás by name. Real won 5-1 and, eased past Danish side Boldklubben 1913, in the next round.

The Quarter-Final draw would pair them with Juventus. Just as the English chased the holy grail of European Cup success, the Italians were not far behind and had come closer with two two teams reaching the final. Juventus, had disappointed in the competition thus far, but this was their finest performance to date. In Turin the Biancanero decided to play the versatile John Charles, noted by Bobby Robson as being ‘the only man World Class in two positions’ at Center-Half, blunting their attacking edge in their own stadium. In a tense and tight affair, Di Stéfano would win the River Plate old boys reunion versus Sivori, scoring the only goal of the match, with twenty minutes remaining. It would be the reverse in the return leg with Sivori capping an outstanding performance by scoring six minutes before half-time after he got on the end of a Charles (now playing up front) knockdown. In the second-half, the Welshman was moved back to defence and Juve forced a playoff in Paris, ending Real’s unbeaten record at the Bernabéu.

Juve travelled by train to the play-off as Sivori hated flying and their arrival was delayed due to ice and snow. Felo put Real 1-0 ahead, inside a minute after a tremendous three man move involving the scorer, Del Sol and Di Stéfano. Back came Juve, Sivori levelling before half-time. Picking the ball up midway inside the Real half, he left Di Stéfano for dead, the defence opened up and he poked the ball past Araquistáin. Though they did not get on the scoresheet, it was still clear Puskás and Di Stéfano pulled the strings for Madrid. Real going back in front when Del Sol got on the end of a Puskás free-kick, and Tejada finished the tie with a third after a dynamic Di Stéfano pass had found Del Sol inside the box. Tejada had been signed from Barcelona following a recommendation Di Stéfano provided to Bernabéu. Real were complimented by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport for their ‘rational football’^ and it may well be that Real’s negotiating of the tie in such a manner provided necessary ammunition for the growing proponents of a more ‘conservative’ style. Real took care of Standard Liege comfortably in the semis to set up their sixth final in seven appearances.

The final would be held in Amsterdam at the Olympic Stadium scene of Uruguay’s win over Argentina in the 1928 Olympic final.

The opening goal came after 18 minutes. A Benfica free-kick was cleared, and found its way to Di Stéfano who clipped the bouncing ball behind the defensive line into the path of Puskás, standing all alone on the half-way line. Though he had lost a couple of yards, with such a large head-start the he was able to control the ball, set himself and fire it past Pereira with little chasing pressure. At best, it was poor defensive organisation on transition from an attacking set-piece, at worst it was schoolboy stuff. Puskás made it 2-0 five minutes later. Again finding himself in space, although this time a lot further out he drilled a half-volley from 30 yards. The ball spun up on the six-yard box causing Pereira to mishandle it and squirmed past him to put the Madridistas in cruise control. Only 24 months after Glasgow, it seemed this final would be heading in a similar direction, but within 10 minutes Benfica were level. First, Águas reacted quickest to get the rebound after a Eusébio free-kick cannoned off the post, then in the 33rd minute, Eusébio layed off a cross to Cavem waiting at the edge of the box and another left-footed half volley made it 2-2.

In a breathless first half, there was still time for Puskás to grab his hat-trick. A Real counter-attack was broken up but the loose ball fell to ‘Little Bam Bam’ and he fired it home with that trusty left foot from the edge of the area. It was his second hat-trick in a final, actually his second in a row, a remarkable record. Only two other others have scored one (Di Stéfano and Pierino Prati).

Despite being behind, at half-time, Guttmann played on Real’s age, telling his team ‘they cannot win, Real Madrid cannot run, Di Stéfano is dead.’^ According to José Augusto, Guttmann ‘always had the technical knowledge to know how to single out the threats in the opponent’s team and stop them playing,’^ and so at half-time he had Cavem man mark Di Stéfano. This change forced Puskás, deprived of service, to come deeper for the ball and it was in such a moment that Benfica equalised. Di Stéfano’s hurried ball forward found the Hungarian well inside his own half and a mis-control was seized on by Coluna. He unleashed a 30 yard shot that Araquistáin could not save, his second long-range goal in as many finals, to draw Benfica level.

Eusébio then put the ball in the same place on 64 minutes and 69 minutes. The first a penalty after he was brought down, the second a deflected free-kick from just outside the area. Predictably, there were complaints about the penalty decision given by Horn, in charge of the final again. Eusébio was in full flight and though he did go down spectacular from the challenge from Pachin, it looks, with the benefit of 21st century glasses, a fairly clear penalty. It came at the conclusion of a driving run in which, like Sivori before him, Eusébio eased past the ageing Di Stéfano, who was left flailing as he tried to bring the Mozambican down. Águas was the regular penalty taker but Eusébio having earned the kick asked Coluna if he could take it and the captain told Águas to ‘let the kid take it, he’s confident.’^ At 5-3 down the ageing legs of Puskás and Di Stefano did not have the energy to mount a comeback.

Eusébio asked for Puskás’ shirt at the end of the match, passing the torch to Europe’s brightest star. Ironically, the man for whom Eusébio would hand the mantle to, at the end of decade, was in attendance that night. Ajax youth player Johan Cruyff, was one of the ballboys. Besides taking home the European Cup, Benfica were given a bear cub by the Rhenen zoo in the Netherlands. After having watched the game with President Vieira de Brito in the VIP area, the Bear was taken back to Lisbon Zoo and named Benfica.

No longer could Madrid tell themselves that the Barcelona defeat was a blip, the product of bad luck and egregious referring. Time stands still for no one and Puskás and Di Stéfano were showing their age. Bernabéu was conscious of the miles on the clock of his two superstars. The dynamic Del Sol would be sold to Juventus that summer to raise funds as he tried to prise Pele from Santos. But after a conversation with Didi, Pele refused to join unless Di Stéfano retired. It would be a couple of seasons before the King had to abdicate his throne.

It was another spectacular final, the third in a row. Brian Glanville described it as a ‘marvellous anachronism, the product of an age of relative innocence in which defences and defensive tactics were not yet strangling the sport.’^ It marked a watershed, the goals in finals a perfect illustration of how the game changed post-62. In the first seven the average goals scored per final was 5.5. In the next seven it was 3.2. In the whole of 70s, it reduced to 1.7, an era which saw six successive 1-0 finals. The next three years would usher in a more conservative approach with clearer definitions of attack and defence. Teams would be harder to break down, goals harder to come by and superstars subdued. Both teams would have a front row seat as this new era emerged.