Stephen Eustáquio basks in the glow of victory on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif., where his late goal against South Africa fired Canada into the World Cup round of 16.FRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press
Stephen Eustáquio may be a new name to some Canadians in the wake of his dramatic stoppage-time winner against South Africa at the World Cup on Sunday.
But the former Portuguese youth international has become the engine in the Canadian midfield since committing his international allegiance to Canada in February, 2019. The 29-year-old midfielder has survived injury and family tragedy along the way.
Now he is a Canadian icon.
“Undoubtedly the most important goal in the history of Canadian soccer,” said the Times of London.
“Eustáquio the star of the show,” said Opta Analyst.
Mauro Eustáquio caught up with his emotionally drained younger brother by phone in the Canada locker room after the game at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
“His first comment was, ‘I am dead,’” Mauro recalled.
“The emotion was very high,” he added. “I think he was so happy that the team was able to win and go through.”
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A day later, Stephen (pronounced Stefan) appears to have understood the magnitude of his elegant strike and the reaction to it back home. The brothers spoke again by phone Monday as the Canadian team travelled to Houston for Saturday’s round-of-16 game.
“I said, ‘Dude, has it sunk in?’” said Mauro. “He said, ‘Mauro, now it has. The amount of people that have reached out, the amount of videos that I’ve seen ... I get it.’”
Mauro, who is head coach of the Canadian Premier League’s Inter Toronto FC, watched the Canada game with his staff at a local pub. His phone also immediately blew up.
“A lot of our close friends and family know how important this tournament was for him and how much he wanted to be ready for this tournament,” Mauro said. “He made some professional decisions. He had to make some sacrifices.
“But to see he’s having a good tournament, it’s all paying off. Everybody’s super happy for him.”
Gregory Bull/The Associated Press
Eustáquio's kick eludes the reach of South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, breaking a scoreless deadlock in the 92nd minute.Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press
Stephen plays with FC Porto, one of Portugal’s top clubs. But in February he moved on loan to Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer after the Portuguese team reduced his playing time amid a series of management changes.
He welcomed the move, knowing he needed time on the pitch ahead of the World Cup. But it came at a personal cost, with his immediate family remaining in Portugal other than a couple of visits.
He will return to Porto next season, but another move may be in the cards.
Stephen was born in Leamington, Ont., two years after his parents and Mauro, then two years old, left their hometown of Nazaré – located on the Portuguese coast between Porto and Lisbon – for Canada in search of a better life.
His father, Armando, was a fisherman, working on nearby Lake Erie, while his mother, Esmeralda, worked at a fish factory.
Leamington had a good-sized Portuguese community and soccer was popular, with weekend gatherings to watch teams from back home.
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Both brothers grew up kicking a ball.
Their mother, whose parents had spent time living in both the U.S. and Canada, made sure the boys learned English and adapted to their new home.
But after some 10 years in Canada, the family returned to Portugal to be closer to family and friends.
Both Mauro and Stephen played for a local side, gradually moving on to rise up the ranks elsewhere.
After joining GD Nazarenos at the age of 17, Stephen switched to Torreense six months later and spent three years with the third-division club. That led to moves to second-division Leixoes and then, six months later, to top-tier Chaves.
He spent a year with Chaves before making a big move to Cruz Azul in January, 2019. Portugal’s Pedro Caixinha, who was coaching the Mexican giant at the time, had seen him playing for the Portuguese under-21 side.
Fifteen minutes into his debut for the team, against Tijuana at Azteca Stadium, Stephen tore his anterior cruciate ligament. He was cleared to resume training seven months later, one month ahead of schedule.
On the international front, then-Canada coach John Herdman had been quietly working on convincing Stephen to switch international allegiance.
Former Canada coach John Herdman persuaded Eustáquio to commit to the national team, and his successor, Jesse Marsch, enjoyed the midfielder's winning goal Sunday.Matthew Childs/Reuters
Stephen had already had a taste of a Canadian camp. In 2012, he was a late addition to a Canadian under-17 camp in Spain.
Nothing came of it and Portugal came calling.
Stephen was called up to play for the Portuguese under-21 team in its Euro qualifying.
Herdman’s patience eventually paid off.
“I’m here today because he was a fantastic guy. He was very patient … he respected my decision, he respected the time [frame], he respected everything,” Stephen said after committing to Canada in 2019. “I never felt pressure.”
Restored to health, Stephen was loaned to Portugal’s FC Paços de Ferreira in January, 2020, with the move made permanent a year later. His play there earned a loan move to Porto in January, 2022, with a purchase option at the end of the season.
Porto exercised that option and Stephen found himself in rarified air, playing in the Champions League and Europa League.
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While at Porto, he won the league title twice, the Portuguese Cup three times, the Portuguese Super Cup twice and League Cup once. In all, he has made more than 150 appearances for Porto across all competitions.
But off the field, the Eustáquio brothers were rocked when their mother died of brain cancer in April, 2023. Their father died unexpectedly of a heart attack in May, 2024.
The birth of Stephen’s daughter, Benedita, in April, 2024, was something to celebrate amid the family loss.
Mauro said while the brothers mourned their parents, they chose to look ahead.
“Our parents … they gave us wings. So now it’s up to us to fly," Mauro said in a 2024 interview.
“They’re together. They’re in a good place,” he added. “And now it’s up to us to continue their kind of legacy and what they taught us, how to be a good human being and fight for our dreams. We’re thankful for both of us to be doing something that we absolutely love.”
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP/Getty Images
Elated teammates swarm Eustáquio after he secured Canada's first World Cup knockout victory.FRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press
The brothers have maintained their bond, often watching games together virtually, despite being continents apart.
A thoughtful spokesman for Canada off the field, Stephen is calmly efficient on it. He delivers an accurate set piece and keeps the Canadian attack moving with his distribution.
The game against South Africa marked his 60th for Canada. The team’s vice-captain, Stephen has worn the captain’s armband in the absence of skipper Alphonso Davies, who came on in the 75th minute Sunday for his first appearance at the tournament.
Stephen showed his class in the 92nd minute, deftly chesting down a headed clearance from a defender so he could hammer home a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty box.
“He’s not someone that has a lot of goals in his career but that shot from that mid-range is something that he’s been known for,” said Mauro. “The technique was great. It was some goal.”
On the biggest stage.