Eder Lopes: From nowhere to football's summit

Four years almost to the day I remember listening to the 1968 legendary 'Black power' Olympian Tommy Smith after just watching himself at the cinema win the 200 metres final in Mexico 1968. He relived and remembered every step of the race. It was though he was back there running it again, still not quite sure how it would end. A magical defining moment he said that stays with you in Technicolor for your whole life.

I’m sure this is going to be the same for one Portuguese soon to be legend Éderzito António Macedo Lopes, who scored Portugal’s winning goal that brought this proud nation its first ever international footballing trophy. But the back story to the man who delivered his county’s glory is to stuff any Hollywood script writer would be proud of.

Born in the West African, former Portuguese colony Guinea-Bissau, Eder’s family moved to Lisbon in search of a better life when he was two years old. Unable to adequately care for their son he was sent at the age of 8 to Lar O Girassol, a state-run care facility on the outskirts of Coimbra. There he remained in care until he left to play professional football at 17. Eder remained in contact with his mother and it is reported that he sent her his first pay packet of 400 Euros after signing for his first club FC Oliveira do Hospital.

As football goes Eder’s path has not been plain sailing. Big injury problems and not fulfilling his potential at top clubs made many doubt him. But not Eder himself who posted some time back on his Facebook account ‘Don’t underestimate me’.

And so he brought his person mantra to the biggest stage but nearly never got to play.

The Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo became injured. The others worked twice as hard. Eder came on very late in the game for the tired Sanchez. Fizzing around the field like a cracker jack Eder was a man with a mission man. With a penalty shootout looming Eder received the ball in the last third of the pitch.

The impressive French defender Koshelny surely felt feels he’d got his man covered and attempted to make the tackle, but Eder’s strength was not only hold the defender off with one movement, but also dance two steps to side to give himself space to put his name in the history books. From somewhere deep in his soul almost without looking Eder unleashed a thunderbolt from 30 yards out that would only find the back of the net if had exorcet precision.

It did. Eder’s difficulty like crystallised in that prophetic moment. As he peeled off to celebrate his team mates could not catch, this moment of jubilation was not for the few but for the whole team squad. Buried under a human mound of joy Eder emerged with his latest glorious chapter complete.

Whatever he does now the young West African boy, Éderzito António Macedo Lopes, instantly became a hero for his native Guinea-Bissau and every living soul in Portugal.

Well done Eder.

Simon Woolley