Alfredo di Stéfano

Alfredo di Stéfano:

Alfredo di Stéfano Laulhé (born 4 July 1926 in Barracas, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine - Spanish former footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He is most associated with Real Madrid and was instrumental in their domination of the European Champions' Cup during the 1950s, a period in which the club won the trophy in five consecutive seasons from 1956. Di Stéfano played international football mostly for Spain, but he also played for Argentina and Colombia

Di Stéfano, nicknamed "Saeta rubia" was a powerful forward with great stamina, tactical versatility, and vision, who could also play almost anywhere on the pitch. He is currently the 4th highest scorer in the history of Spain's top division, and Real Madrid's 2nd highest league goalscorer of all time, with 216 goals in 282 league matches between 1953 and 1964.

In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Spain by the Royal Spanish Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.He was named by Pelé as one of the "top 125 greatest living footballers" in March 2004 (in September 2009 he said Di Stéfano was the best player "ever"). Di Stéfano was voted fourth, behind Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruijff, in a vote organised by the French weekly magazine France Football consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century

Club playing career

Born to a family of Italian immigrants from Nicolosi, in province of Catania, Di Stéfano began his career at Argentina's River Plate aged 17, in 1943. For the 1946 season he was loaned to Club Atlético Huracán, but he returned to River in 1947. Due to a footballer's strike in Argentina in 1949, di Stéfano went to play for Millonarios of Bogotá in the Colombian league. He won six league titles during the first 12 years of his career in Argentina and Colombia.

Di Stéfano is best known for his time at Real Madrid where he was an integral part of one of the most successful teams of all time. He scored a club record 216 league goals in 262 games for Real, striking up a fearsome partnership with Ferenc Puskás. Di Stéfano's 49 goals in 58 matches was for decades the all-time highest tally in the European Cup, until it was surpassed by Real Madrid's Raúl in 2005, and Milan's Andriy Shevchenko, and Real Madrid's Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2006. Perhaps the highlight of his time with the club was their 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1960 European Cup Final at Hampden Park, a game many consider to be the finest exhibition of club football ever witnessed in Europe. He was voted European Footballer of the Year in 1957 and 1959.

He moved to Espanyol in 1964 and played there until hanging up his boots at the age of 40

Personal information

Full name Alfredo di Stéfano Laulhé
Date of birth 4 July 1926 (1926-07-04) (age 83)
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Attacking Midfielder

Senior career*

Years Club Apps (Gls)†
1943–1949 River Plate 065 0(49)
1946–1947 ? Huracán (loan) 025 0(10)
1949–1953 Millonarios 102 0(88)
1953–1964 Real Madrid 282 (216)
1964–1966 Espanyol 047 0(11)
Total 521 (374)

National team

1947–1949 Argentina 006 00(6)
1949–1954 Colombia 004 00(0)
1954–1961 Spain 031 0(23)

Teams managed

1967–1967 Elche
1969–1970 Boca Juniors
1970–1974 Valencia
1974–1974 Sporting
1975–1976 Rayo Vallecano
1976–1977 Castellón
1979–1980 Valencia
1981–1982 River Plate
1982–1984 Real Madrid
1985 Boca Juniors
1986–1988 Valencia
1990–1991 Real Madrid

Honours

Club

Plate
o Primera División Argentina: 1945, 1947
o Runner-up South American Championship Clubs : 1948

Millonarios
o Colombian Championship: 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953
o Colombian Cup: 1953
o Copa Bodas de Oro del Real Madrid: 1952
o Pequeña Copa del Mundo de Clubes: 1953

Real Madrid
o La Liga: 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
o Copa del Rey: 1962
o European Cup: 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60
o Intercontinental Cup: 1960
o Pequeña Copa del Mundo de Clubes: 1956
o Latin Cup: 1955, 1957

Country

Argentina
o Copa América: 1947


Individual

* Argentine League Top Scorer
o 1947

* Colombian League Top Scorer
o 1951, 1952

* Pichichi Trophy
o 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959

* Ballon d'Or
o 1957, 1959

* European Cup Top Scorer
o 1958, 1962

* Spanish Player (Athlete) of the Year
o 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964

* FIFA 100

Manager

Boca Juniors
o Primera División Argentina: 1969

River Plate
o Primera División Argentina: 1981

Valencia
o La Liga: 1970–71
+ Runners-up: 1971–72
o Copa del Rey:
+ Runners-up: 1970-71, 1971-72
o European Cup Winners' Cup: 1979–80
o Segunda División: 1986-87

Real Madrid
o La Liga:
+ Runners-up: 1982–83, 1983–84
o Copa del Rey:
+ Runners-up: 1982-83
o Copa de la Liga:
+ Runners-up: 1982-83
o European Cup Winners' Cup:
+ Runners-up: 1982–83
o Supercopa de España: 1990