Alfredo Di Stéfano: Football Legend
Alfredo Di Stéfano (July 4, 1926 – July 7, 2014) was an Argentine soccer player who won two European Player of the Year awards, and led Real Madrid to a record five straight European Cup championships.
Alfredo Di StéfanoGreatest Sporting Achievements
Alfredo Di Stéfano is currently the fifth highest scorer in the history of Spain’s top division. He is Real Madrid’s second highest goal-scorer of all time with 216 goals in 282 league matches from 1953 to 1964 and the second highest goal-scorer in the history of El Clasico. Di Stéfano was declared honorary president of Real Madrid in 2000 for his years of distinguished service as a player and manager. In 2011, he was named the first inductee to the FIFA Hall of Fame by the governing body’s president, Sepp Blatter.
He first played for Argentine and Columbian soccer clubs from 1943 to 1945 then moved to Spain and won two Ballon d’Or Awards while leading Real Madrid to eight league titles and five straight European Cup championships. After his retirement, Di Stéfano managed football teams in Spain from 1967 to 1991 including Elche, Valencia, River Plate, Real Madrid and Boca Juniors.
Why Was He So Good?
Di Stéfano was nicknamed “La Saeta Rubia”, meaning “the blonde arrow” due to his hair color, dominant forward, great stamina, tactical flexibility and vision who could play anywhere and be anywhere in the pitch.
What You May Not Know
- Despite his collection of achievements, Alfredo Di Stéfano never had the chance to play for World Cups.
- He died on July 7, 2014 after a heart attack and remained in a coma for two days.
- Players like John Charles, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Eusébio and many great footballers described the Argentine Legend as “the most complete footballer in the history of the game”.
Was he a legend?
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Related Pages
- He won the Ballon d'Or in 1957 and 1959
- More football players
- About Football (Soccer)
- About Sport in Spain
- Athlete Database home
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