Alfredo Di Stefano: Real Madrid legend and football's first global icon

You don’t need to be a fan of Real Madrid or even Spanish football to understand the impact that Alfredo Di Stefano had on the world’s favourite pastime.

The first truly great global icon of the sport, Di Stefano’s passing at the age of 88 on Monday has hit the football family hard.

You only need scan the newspaper back (and front) pages, innumerable internet websites, or the Twitter accounts of any of today’s high profile players to acknowledge just how much “La Saeta Rubia” (The Blonde Arrow) meant to everyone.

Before Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona came Di Stefano. The first in a trio of the finest Argentine footballers to ever play the game.

A LEGEND IS BORN

Born on July 4, 1926 in Barracas, a poor suburb of Buenos Aires, it wasn’t long before the son of Michele and Eulalia began showing some football prowess.

In 1943, aged just 17, the young Alfredo began his career at River Plate, at a time when the famed La Maquina (“The Machine”) forward line were in their pomp.

Loaned out in 1946 to Club Atletico Huracan for some experience, Di Stefano returned to River in 1947 to replace Adolfo Pedernera.

His seamless transition to the line up gives us an indication of his talent. At now 20 years of age, Di Stefano had already earned the right to a place in the greatest forward line in world football.

A players strike in Argentina in 1949 forced players elsewhere and Di Stefano would end up servicing the needs of Millonarios de Bogota in Colombia. At around the same time, he had begun an international career and six goals in his first six games for Argentina was a fine return.

However, the fall-out from his departure to the Colombian side meant he would never play for either River or the Argentine national team again. More’s the pity.

After four successful seasons where he scored an astonishing 100 goals in 112 appearances, a protracted and controversial transfer to Spain ensued.

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona had been keeping tabs on Di Stefano after a masterful performance for Millonarios at Real’s Nuevo Estadio Chamartin (later to be renamed the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu) in 1952.

CONTROVERSY

Real reached a transfer accord with his club in July 1953, but Barcelona had first contact with the player himself, who signed a contract with the Blaugrana and FIFA. Whilst the latter authorised the transfer, the Spanish Federation did not, and after huge wrangles, Barcelona, reluctantly allowed Di Stefano to join their fiercest rivals.

The machinations of his transfer are disputed and continued to exacerbate any ill-feeling between the two Spanish behemoths. In any event, it was a decision that would come back to haunt the Blaugrana almost immediately.

Di Stefano, alongside Ferenc Puskas and Francisco Gento, would form a formidable attacking trident taking all before them, both domestically and across Europe.

Two European Footballer of the Year trophies coincided with Real’s dominance of a newly-conceived tournament, the European Cup. It would have it’s bow in 1955, and Real would come to win the trophy in it’s first five years of existence.

Di Stefano scored in every final including a hat trick during the game which was the defining moment for that generation of players – the 7-3 win against Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park in 1960.

The 134,000 crowd that day remains a record for the competition and they, along with TV viewers worldwide, were left open-mouthed and enchanted by what many considered to have been the finest exhibition of club football that had ever been witnessed in Europe.

A quite unbelievable strike rate of 305 goals in 392 games for Madrid ensures Di Stefano’s legend there remains undiminished.

Despite previously turning out for the Albiceleste, Dual citizenship allowed him to play for the Spanish national team. 23 goals in 31 appearances again speaks for itself but for a variety of reasons Di Stefano was never able to grace a World Cup finals. A sad footnote to the most glorious of playing careers.

His managerial career was similarly successful, winning trophies at River, Valencia and Real. The life presidency bestowed upon him by Real Madrid was appropriate acknowledgement of his years at Los Blancos.

Manchester United’s Bobby Charlton remembered the first time he saw Di Stefano play in 1957, and encompasses his genius perfectly:

“He takes the ball from the goalkeeper, he tells the fullbacks what to do, wherever he is on the field he is in position to take the ball. You can see his influence on everything that is happening….I had never seen such a complete footballer.

"It was as though he had set up his own command centre at the heart of the game. He was as strong as he was subtle. The combination of qualities was mesmerising."

Ask Pele, Maradona and Cruyff too who the best player ever would be and the answer would be universal: Alfredo Di Stefano.

Football is so much the poorer for his loss. May he rest in peace.

 DI STEFANO HONOURS

-5 European Cups – 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 (Real Madrid)
-8 Spanish La Liga – 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 (Real Madrid)
-1 Spanish Copa Del Rey - 1962 (Real Madrid)
-1 Intercontinental Cup - 1960 (Real Madrid)
-2 Argentine leagues – 1945, 1947 (River Plate)
-1 America Cup – 1947 (River Plate)
-4 Colombian leagues – 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953 (Millonarios Bogota)

*Jason Pettigrove is a freelance FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and La Liga correspondent for @YahooSportsME as well as a number of other print/digital media. Follow him @jasonpettigrove