Alfredo Di Stéfano

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Lore & Background

Di Stéfano began his club career at age 17 with Argentina's River Plate in 1943. Due to a footballers' strike in Argentina in 1949, he transferred to Millonarios of Bogotá in the Colombian league until 1953, when he left for Real Madrid. He scored a total of 216 league goals for Real Madrid, a club record at the time. In 1964, Di Stefano signed with Espanyol and played for them for the remainder of his career until retiring at the age of 40 in 1966. At the international level, Di Stéfano helped Argentina win the Copa América in 1947. However, although having played for three different national teams, he never played a single match at the FIFA World Cup during his career. His 49 goals in the European Cup was the highest of any player at the time. He was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1957 and 1959. He is currently the seventh highest scorer in the history of Spain's top division, and places fourth on Real Madrid's highest league goalscorer of all time. He is Madrid's joint leading goalscorer in the history of El Clásico, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

In Their Own Story

Heat radiated from the La Boca docks in 1942, mixing with the roar of a sea clad in blue and gold. A young man with dark hair and piercing eyes collected the ball near the sideline. He didn't merely control it; he absorbed it, spun past two defenders with an ankle flick, and surged forward. The goalkeeper rushed out, but Alfredo Di Stéfano simply lifted the ball over him, sending it sailing into the net. The stadium erupted, a sound that seemed to vibrate through the very foundations of La Boca. For those few moments, he was not just a player; he was the future of Argentine football, dancing in the center of history before destiny called him away.

Reader's Guide

Di Stéfano was born in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Barracas. His father, also named Alfredo Di Stéfano, was a first-generation Italian Argentine. His mother, Eulalia Laulhé Gilmont, was an Argentine woman of French and Irish descent. Di Stéfano's father had played for River Plate as a defender, and introduced the young Di Stéfano to football. Di Stéfano grew up playing street football on neighbourhood teams, and his talent drew attention. In 1940, his family moved to the countryside, where he played for Unión Progresista with his brother Tulio. In 1943, the family returned to Buenos Aires. Di Stéfano's football idol in his youth was Arsenio Erico of Paraguay. In 1944, Di Stéfano's father wrote a letter of recommendation to River Plate, and the club invited Di Stéfano to audition for the youth team. The club was impressed by Di Stéfano, and assigned him to the second team. The following year, at age 19, he played one match for the first team, a 2–1 loss to Huracán in the 1945 Argentine championship on 15 July, 1945. Stéfano did not play again that year, but he won his first title as River Plate won the championship. The president of Huracán was impressed by Di Stéfano's talent after witnessing him play his one match the previous season. Realising he had little chance of becoming a permanent member of River Plate first team, Di Stéfano agreed to play for Huracán on loan in 1946. Di Stéfano scored the first two goals of his career in a 3–1 victory against Estudiantes (LP). In a match against River Plate, he scored the fastest goal in the history of the Argentine championship, after about ten seconds of play. In total, he scored 10 goals in 25 appearances for Huracán; the club tried to sign him permanently at the end of the season, but could not afford the 90,000 pesos River Plate asked for the transfer. Upon his return to River Plate, Di Stéfano became an integral part of La Máquina, taking on the role of the departing Adolfo Pedernera. He received the nickname of Saeta Rubia from journalist Roberto Neuberger. He contributed significantly to winning the 1947 Argentine Primera División, becoming the top scorer of the league with 27 goals. In November 1947, River beat Nacional 4–3 with Di Stéfano scoring one goal in Montevideo, and four days later Di Stéfano celebrated his first international club trophy with a 3–1 victory in Buenos Aires. In February 1948,

Did You Know?

• Di Stéfano never played a single match at the FIFA World Cup during his career.
• He was awarded the Super Ballon d'Or in 1989, the only player ever to receive it.
• He scored the fastest goal in the history of the Argentine championship, after about ten seconds of play, in a match against River Plate while on loan at Huracán.
• In November 2003, he was selected as the Golden Player of Spain by the Royal Spanish Football Federation.