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the enormous desire to WIN and to be the best at any cost." Ferenc Puskas, Hungary's all-time great. |
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During his illustrious playing career in Europe,
Di Stéfano won 8 Spanish league titles, 1 Spanish Cup and the first
ever World Club Cup (Intercontinental Cup) in 1960.
He was also the first player to be named European Footballer of the Year twice, in 1957 and 1959. HEADING FOR GLORY
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SCORING RECORDS
| SPANISH LEAGUE
5 times the top goalscorer in the Spanish league, Di Stéfano is Real’s record goalscorer with 218 goals in 282 games. And his overall total in the Spanish league of 228 goals is third behind Zarra and Hugo Sanchez, both of them played more games and more seasons in the Spanish league than Di Stéfano. WORLD RANKING - Club Matches
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OVERHEAD Di Stéfano's bicycle kick |
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WORLD RANKING - All Matches
His overall scoring record is even more impressive. In all official matches, he scored more than 800 goals (some said as many as 893). This total is ranked 4th in the world, behind Brazil's Pele, Arthur Friedenreich and Austria's Binder, but a world record for a midfielder (as how Di Stéfano is now being classified). BALL-JUGGLING GENIUS
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| INTERNATIONAL GOALS
He played 40 international matches, 31 of them for Spain. He scored a record 23 goals for the Spanish national team (The record was since broken by Emilio Butragueño in 1990.) The player would have scored more if he was cleared to play for Spain earlier. |
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| INTERNATIONAL CLUB GAMES
Di Stéfano also set and still holds the record of scoring in 5 consecutive European Cup Finals. He is the all-time leading scorer in the Champion's Cup, netting a total of 49 goals in the competition alone. On two occasions he was the tournament's top scorer. Di Stéfano scored more goals than any other Real Madrid player in all 3 European club competitions. |
PERFECT RECORD Di Stéfano scoring against Einchrant Frankfurt in the 1960 Finals, keeping his incredible goal-scoring record intact |
INTERNATIONAL HONOURS
FIFA WORLD TEAM
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During his playing days, Di Stéfano was
the captain of the World Eleven (selected by FIFA). The team played
against England in Wembley stadium to mark the centenary of the England
Football Association. The match ended in a 4-4 draw. Other
players in the World Team included Yashin of Soviet Union, Hungarian Puskas,
Brazilian Djalma Santos.
WORLD ELEVEN
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GREATEST PLAYER AWARDS
| SUPER EUROPEAN PLAYER
Apart from Di Stéfano, other players, such as Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten, also won the European Footballer of the Year award two times or more. But in 1991, when France Football magazine polled from the top European jounalists to choose the Greatest European Player of All-time, all these formidable names were beaten by Di Stéfano. Alfredo was presented the "Super" European Footballer Award, recognizing him as the greatest ever European player. This speaks volume for Di Stéfano abilities and achievements. |
 Di Stéfano was named the Greatest European Player of All-time |
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Italian sport magazine Guerin Sportivo chose Di Stefano, not only as the best European player of all-time, but the best player of all-time. |
| EUROPEAN FOOTBALLER OF THE CENTURY
In 1999, German-based International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) organized a vote by a panel of soccer journalists to choose the European Footballer of the Century. Di Stéfano finished third in the voting, narrowly beaten by Cruyff and Beckenbauer, both of whom are players of more recent times. (Note: Do not confuse this award with the one from France Football mentioned above, which holds the official poll to determine the European Player of the Year award annually.) |
RECOGNISED A picture of Di Stéfano in the eighties |
HALL OF FAMER
Di Stéfano (lower row, middle) was honoured as one of the greats |
THE WALL OF LEGEND
In 1997, organisers of the 1998 World Cup named Di Stéfano to the so-called WALL OF LEGEND that depicted the world's greatest 32 players. A giant mural was put behind the goal in Lyon's stadium during the Tournoi de France tournament. |
INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
International Football Hall of Fame |
In 1997, International
Football Hall of Fame polled half a million fans in 110 countries via
the Internet. Di Stéfano was named to the list of the
world's best 25 players. The Hall of Fame (not to be confused with
FIFA's Hall of Champions) was opened in 1999 in Manchester, England.
Note: The voting was complained by many to have favoured British players, with 11 included in top 25 while there were only 5 Brazilians and 2 Germans. Di Stéfano was still selected, albeit in a lowly 21st place. |
FIFA HALL OF CHAMPIONS
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Thirty years after his retirement,
in 1998, Di Stéfano was inducted into FIFA's official International
Hall of Champions, meaning he is officially recognized as one of the
ten greatest players of all-time.
Complete list: Franz Beckenbauer, Sir Bobby Charlton, Johan Cruyff, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Eusebio, Sir Stanley Matthews, Pelé, Michel Platini, Ferenc Puskas, and Lev Yashin |
FIFA |
TEAM OF THE CENTURY
On June 9, 1998, FIFA's
official sponsor Master Card asked the world's 250 top soccer jounalists
to select an all-star team, comprised of the greatest soccer players of
all-time. Di Stéfano was selected for both the South American
and the World team (in midfield), along with Pelé.
The World Team of the Century:
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Team of the Century: (From left to right) Brazil's Carlos Alberto, Nilton Santos, Di Stéfano and Pelé were all selected for the Master Card Team of the century. |
Go to the trophy
room for a detailed list of competitions and honors won by Di Stéfano.
IN RECOGNITION OF THIS AMAZING
PLAYER,
PLEASE SIGN
MY DI STEFANO GUESTBOOK.
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