Portugal legend Eusebio set to leave Polish hospital after suffering heart scare

Portuguese legend under instruction from doctors to get plenty of rest

Portugal great Eusebio was in a stable condition at a Polish hospital yesterday after undergoing tests following a heart scare, officials said.

The 70-year-old was hospitalised in Poznan late on Saturday after feeling ill. Doctors performed a coronary catheterisation, which determined that he had not had a heart attack, but merely suffered complications from poor health.

"I had the chance to speak to him this morning and asked him whether his heart hurt at all," said Stanislaw Rusek, a hospital spokesman. "He smiled and said, 'not at all,' and that shows that this morning he was in good form."

Doctors have instructed Eusebio to get plenty of rest and sleep, and said he could leave hospital as early as today. The former Benfica star had been accompanying the Portugal national team during their European Championship campaign, and was staying with the team at their base in the town of Opalenica when he fell ill.

This is the fourth time since December that Eusebio, who scored 41 goals in 64 games for his country, has received hospital treatment. The other three times were for pneumonia, blood pressure problems and severe neck pain.

Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, who was born in Mozambique when it was still a Portuguese colony, became a national icon after his stunning performances in the 1960s for Benfica and Portugal's national team.

In 1998, football's world governing body Fifa named him one of the 10 best players of all time. He may be best known for his performances at the 1966 World Cup in England, where he scored four goals in the quarter-finals to help Portugal overcome a 3-0 deficit against North Korea to win 5-3.

The current Portugal side, who face Spain in a Euro 2012 semi-final on Wednesday, are closely following Eusebio's health.

"We are all with him, but we know he's a strong man," the defender Jao Pereira said. "He has always shown that during his sports career and afterwards, and we know he's going to recover quickly. So, that's why we're not that worried because we're confident in his recovery."