It was a scene taken from a movie that took place at Los Angeles Stadium, the home of Hollywood, against the backdrop of the grand stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As the clock expired in stoppage time and the score tied at 0-0, Canada’s Stephen Eustaquio received the ball on the edge of South Africa’s penalty box. He then defeated diving goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to advance his team to the World Cup’s last 16 for the first time in its history.
Eustaquio’s winner provided a thrilling conclusion to the first knockout match of the tournament on Sunday. This may be the most prolific work of his career to date.
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Here’s everything we know about the 29-year-old rising star.
From Canada to Portugal and back again
Born to Portuguese parents in Leamington, Ont., soccer was almost a birthright for Eustaquio. He started playing at the age of four and traveled back and forth between his home country and his parents’ country throughout his career.
His childhood experiences began with Remington Minor Soccer before his family moved to Portugal. Seven-year-old Eustaquio and his older brother Mauro played at club level until Eustaquio signed for Portuguese second-division club Reyxoes in 2017, before moving to GD Chaves in 2018.
A year later, Eustaquio moved to Mexico’s Liga MX side Cruz Azul, before being loaned to Pacos de Ferreira, where he made his debut in January 2020. He made his European debut in August of the same year, scoring the third goal in a 4–0 win against Larne in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Eustaquio finally appeared in the Primeira Liga in January 2022 and was loaned to Porto, who eventually acquired him in May of the same year.
His most recent move was a four-month loan deal with a contract option to Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) in February 2026.
Parents die one after another
Eustaquio’s mother, Esmeralda, died of a brain tumor in April 2023, during a match against Santa Clara in Porto Home. A year later, his father died of a sudden heart attack. Shortly before this, Eustaquio and his girlfriend Constanta welcomed a baby girl, Benedita.
“Everything I’m doing is for everyone: my family, my parents, my girlfriend, my daughter, my brother, my friends back home,” Eustaquio said in a post-match interview at Los Angeles Stadium, which highlighted the midfielder’s raw emotions.
In a September 2024 interview with Sportsnet Canada, Inter Toronto FC head coach Mauro Eustaquio said he and Stephen had come to terms with their grief and made a conscious decision to honor the lives of their parents.
“Our parents…gave us wings, so it’s up to us to fly now.”
“We are both grateful to be able to do what we truly love,” Mauro said.
The former soccer player-turned-coach said in the same interview that Leamington’s large Portuguese community was packed with families and children, like himself and Stephen, played soccer regularly.
60 caps for Canada
Eustaquio began his youth national team career with Canada, appearing in the 2012 AGS Cup. He participated in youth football with Portugal’s U-21 team in the 2019 UEFA European Championship Qualifiers.
Eustaquio decided to play for Canada at the senior level in February 2019 and received his first call-up for CONCACAF Nations League games in October. He also played in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he scored his first international goal. He played for Porto in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Final, and 2025 FIFA World Cup.
“We worked a lot to get this win, and I really want to give this win to all Canadians,” Eustaquio said after Sunday’s game, in which he served as stand-in captain after Alphonso Davies was off the field with an injury.
“We kept believing and kept pushing. We couldn’t imagine it any other way.
“It was a great goal, but when I took the shot, I felt like everyone shot with me. Everyone put a little effort into it and it went into the back of the net,” Eustaquio said of his sixth goal for Canada in his 61st appearance as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup.
