Alfredo Di Stefano
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Alfredo Di Stefano
© sportdal.de

Personal Details
Name : Alfredo Di Stefano Laulhe
Date of Birth : 04.07.1926
Height : 1.78m
Position : Striker


Honours
Argentinean League (2) : 1945, 1947
Colombian League (3) : 1949, 1951, 1952
Spanish League (8) : 1953-1954, 1954-1955, 1956-1957, 1957-1958, 1960-1961, 1961-1962, 1962-1963, 1963-1964
Spanish Cup (1) : 1961-1962
Latin Cup (2) : 1955, 1957
European Cup (5) : 1955-1956, 1956-1957, 1957-1958, 1958-1959, 1959-1960
Intercontinental Cup (1) : 1960
Copa America (1) : 1947 (Argentina)
Argentinean League Top Scorer (1) : 1947
Colombian League Top Scorer (2) : 1951, 1952
Spanish League Top Scorer (5) : 1953-1954, 1955-1956, 1956-1957, 1957-1958, 1958-1959
European Footballer of the Year (2) : 1957, 1959

  Season Club Games Goals Position
  1945 River Plate 1 0 1st
  1946 Hurcan 24 11 9th
  1947 River Plate 30 27 1st
  1948 River Plate 24 14 2nd
  1949 River Plate 11 9 2nd
  1949 Millonarios 15 15 1st
  1950 Millonarios 29 23 2nd
  1951 Millonarios 34 32 1st
  1952 Millonarios 29 19 1st
  1953-1954 Real Madrid 28 28 1st
  1954-1955 Real Madrid 30 25 1st
  1955-1956 Real Madrid 30 24 3rd
  1956-1957 Real Madrid 30 31 1st
  1957-1958 Real Madrid 30 19 1st
  1958-1959 Real Madrid 28 23 2nd
  1959-1960 Real Madrid 23 12 2nd
  1960-1961 Real Madrid 23 21 1st
  1961-1962 Real Madrid 23 10 1st
  1962-1963 Real Madrid 13 12 1st
  1963-1964 Real Madrid 24 11 1st
  1964-1965 Espanyol 24 7 11th
  1965-1966 Espanyol 23 4 12th
  1945-1949 River Plate 66 50 0.76 GPG
  1946 Hurcan 24 11 0.46 GPG
  1949-1952 Millonarios 107 89 0.83 GPG
  1953-1964 Real Madrid 282 216 0.77 GPG
  1964-1966 Espanyol 47 11 0.23 GPG
  1965-1966 UEFA Cup 6 0 0.00 GPG
  1955-1964 European Cup 58 49 0.84 GPG
  1947 Argentina 7 7 1.00 GPG
  1949 Colombia 4 0 0.00 GPG
  1957-1961 Spain 31 23 0.74 GPG
1945-1966 Career 632 456 0.72 GPG

Arguably the most complete footballer of all time. Physically powerful, with unparalleled stamina, amazing skills and unwavering determination to win. He was capped by three countries, but ironically failed to take part in a World Cup! His other achievements were sensational enough to warrant him a place among the top players in the history.

After making a name for himself as a all-round attacker in Argentina, he went on to play in the then "outlawed" Colombian league with Millonarios from Bogota, where his goal average was almost one per game. He was approaching what was then considered veteran age when signed by Real Madrid. Actually, Barcelona reached an agreement with River Plate, the club that had the rights to Di Stefano, but Madrid negotiated directly with Millonarios. The Spanish FA decided solomonically to allow both teams to use the Argentinean magician on every-other-season basis. Barca pulled out, and Di Stefano debuted for Real precisely against the Catalan arch rivals. The score? Real, 5 - 0 Barca.

It was the balding Argentinean who turned Real Madrid from Spanish also-rans into the biggest club, on the planet. He lead them to five consecutive European Champions' Cups, scoring in each and every final!

His most famous display was perhaps the one against Eintracht Frankfurt in Glasgow, when he netted three times (Puskas went one better) in a 7-3 win for the Spaniards.

After missing out on his last chance to present his skills in a World Cup through injury, he transferred to Espanol from Barcelona where he retired at 40. Later he went on to coach various teams with varying degree of success. Under his guidance Valencia won the Spanish Cup in 1979, but Real Madrid achieved FIVE second places in 1983, squandering the League title on the last day after succumbing by 0-1 in Valencia of all places, and losing in four different cup-finals. So unlike the Real during Di Stefano's era!

Ozren Podnar