“Eustáquio’s goal against South Africa shows the light guiding him” | OneFootball

The coach who launched Stephen Eustáquio into senior football highlighted that the midfielder’s decisive goal for Canada at the 2026 World Cup reflects the “light that shines on him.”

“Stephen’s success is due, above all, to his talent, his resilience, his humility, and his great character. The goal he scored against South Africa is a reflection of the light that shines on him,” Francisco Mota told Lusa, the coach who gave Eustáquio his start at Os Nazarenos.

On Sunday (June 28), the Portuguese-Canadian scored in stoppage time the goal that allowed Canada to beat South Africa 1-0 and qualify for the round of 16 of the world’s biggest international tournament for the first time.

The FC Porto midfielder, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Los Angeles FC in the United States, took advantage of a loose ball at the edge of the box to fire a precise shot and send Canada through to the next stage, where they will face Morocco.

“It is a great source of pride. For the Portuguese and especially for the people of Nazaré, who are already used to seeing some of their fellow townspeople succeed and who are also thrilled with Stephen’s achievement,” he said.

Born in Ontario, Canada, on December 21, 1996, the current Canada captain moved to Nazaré at a very young age and grew up in the town in the Leiria district.

It was there that he began playing football, before moving on to União de Leiria’s youth ranks, which he represented until his first year as a junior.

In the 2013/14 season, however, Eustáquio made a rather unusual decision: he gave up competing in the national first division for juniors with the Leiria side in order to play half a season for Os Nazarenos, a team competing in the top championship of the Leiria Football Association, for whom he scored one goal in 17 matches.

“Although he was not yet of senior age, I did not hesitate to put him in the squad. The maturity he showed was already far beyond his years,” recalled the coach, who describes him as someone who plays “in a practical and simple way.”

He also highlighted Eustáquio’s importance in various moments of the game, such as the fact that, when in possession, he is always moving to create passing lanes, has excellent vision, is gifted with great short- and long-passing ability and, at the same time, has a powerful and accurate shot.

“As a human being, he is simply fantastic,” added the 60-year-old coach.

Eustáquio then moved to Torreense, where he completed his development and established himself at senior level, followed by spells at Leixões, Desportivo de Chaves, Cruz Azul (Mexico), Paços de Ferreira and FC Porto, the last of which brought him the most important titles of his career, before his loan move to the American club.

As for the future, and wishing him “always the best,” Stephen Eustáquio’s former coach believes the midfielder’s performance at the World Cup could prove crucial.

“With what is happening at the World Cup, the most important thing will be his rise in value. At FC Porto or elsewhere, he will always have a window of opportunities, which will allow him to continue his fine career at a very high level,” Francisco Mota predicted.

In the round of 16, Canada will face Morocco on July 4 at 18:00 Lisbon time, looking to build on a run that is already written into the book of that national team’s greatest memories.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.