Lisbon - (AFP) - Porto's historic top scorer , Fernando Gomez, who won the Golden Boot twice in the 1980s, has died at the age of 66, his former club announced Saturday.

Porto wrote on its official website, “Fernando Gomez, the historical top scorer for FC Porto, has passed away,” praising the striker who contributed to “turning Porto into a winning club.”

The statement stated that the legendary striker died "from cancer he had been battling for three years."

Gomez, who scored 355 goals in 452 official matches, wrote his name in Porto's records, where he spent 13 years, before moving to Spanish Gijon and ending his career in Lisbon with Sporting in 1991.

The former “Seleção” national team star, who won the Golden Boot for the best European scorer in 1983 and 1985, also wore his country’s shirt in 47 matches, during which he scored 13 goals.

The Portuguese Football Federation praised the qualities of the late, who was "synonymous with elegance, sophistication and goals throughout his career," making the decision to stand a minute of silence before this weekend's matches in honor of Gomes.