Tens of thousands of Portuguese turn out to mourn and salute beloved soccer great Eusebio

The remains of the Portuguese soccer player legend Eusebio are carried inside a car as supporters cheer during his memorial tribute at the Benfica's Luz stadium in Lisbon, Monday, Jan. 6, 2014. Eusebio, the Portuguese football star who was born into poverty in Africa but became an international sporting icon and was voted one of the 10 best players of all time, has died aged 71, his longtime club Benfica said. Few supporters hold posters with the photograph of Esusebio that read in Portuguese: "Bye King". (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) (The Associated Press)

People gather around the sculpture of the Portuguese soccer player legend Eusebio covered by scarfs, at the Benfica's Luz stadium in Lisbon, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014. Eusebio, the Portuguese football star who was born into poverty in Africa but became an international sporting icon and was voted one of the 10 best players of all time, has died aged 71, his longtime club Benfica said. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco) (The Associated Press)

LISBON, Portugal – Tens of thousands turned out in tribute Monday to Eusebio after the coffin of the Portuguese soccer great was put on public display and taken in a funeral cortege through the streets of Lisbon.

People filed out of offices and cafes on a rainy afternoon and applauded as the hearse with a police motorcycle escort passed. Traffic was halted on the capital's main roads and stopped for a ceremony at city hall.

Earlier in the day, dozens of dignitaries and hundreds of fans, some weeping, filed past the coffin at the Lisbon stadium of Benfica, Eusebio's longtime club. Some 10,000 fans at the Stadium of Light cheered and sang when the coffin was placed in the center of the field.

The government declared three days of national mourning after Eusebio's death Sunday from heart failure at 71.

Eusebio was an international star and national hero whose heyday was in the 1960s with Benfica and the Portuguese national team. He became one of the world's top goal scorers and was widely regarded as one of the best players in the history of the game. He was affectionately known as the Black Panther for his physique and agility.

Eusebio was to be buried in a cemetery near Benfica's stadium. Authorities said they would consider moving him later to Lisbon's National Pantheon, which contains the tombs of illustrious figures from Portuguese history.