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Football great Di Stefano dies

July 7, 2014

Former Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano, hailed by many of his contemporaries as the football's "most complete" player, has died aged 88. The player was instrumental in winning five back-to-back European Cup titles.

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A file picture dated 02 December 2010 of Argentinian-Spanish soccer legend and Real Madrid's honorary president Alfredo Di Stefano in Madrid, central Spain. Former Real Madrid star Alfredo Di Stefano, 88, has died after suffering a heart attack in the Spanish capital at the weekend, local media reported 07 July 2014. He had been admitted to Gregorio Maranon hospital in Madrid on 05 July as a result of a cardiac-respiratory arrest he had suffered in the surroundings of Santiago Bernabeu stadium. EPA/JUAN M. ESPINOSA
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Real Madrid announced that club legend Di Stefano had died in the Spanish capital's Gregorio Maranon hospital on Monday afternoon, two days after suffering a heart attack.

"Today is a day that we never thought could come, a day of absolute sadness for the Madrid family and the world of football," Real president Florentino Perez told a news conference, adding that the player's body would lie in repose at the club's Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Tuesday.

"The greatest Real Madrid player and the best of all time has left us," Perez added.

Di Stefano was said to have been in a coma since Saturday, when he suffered a heart attack in a street close to the Bernabeu.

Current Real Madrid star and World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to the player via Twitter.

Barcelona player and Argentine national Lionel Messi wrote on his Facebook page: "The world lost a legend today, Don Alfredo Di Stefano. An amazing man on and off the field. My thoughts are with his family and friends."

Nicknamed "La Saeta Rubia" (The Blond Arrow), Di Stefano won five successive European Cups between 1956 and 1960, scoring in every one of the finals. Along with outside-left Francesco Gento, he was one of only two players who played a part in all five victories.

The Argentine-born, Spanish-naturalized Di Stefano played for five clubs in all: Argentina's River Plate and Atletico Huracan, Colombia's Millonarios and both Real and Espanyol in Spain. Known for his audacious dribbling skills and precision in both passing and shooting - he scored 789 goals in 1,090 matches - Di Stefano was widely praised for possessing a rich blend of technical ability and tactical awareness.

Di Stefano died at Gregorio Maranon hospital in Madrid on 07 July 2014, relatives confirmed. Di Stefano, who turned 88 on 04 July 2014, was admitted to Gregorio Maranon hospital on 05 July 2014 as a result of a cardiac-respiratory arrest he has suffered in the surroundings of Santiago Bernabeu stadium. EPA/FILES BLACK&WHITE ONLY
Di Stefano scored 49 Goals in 58 European Cup gamesImage: picture-alliance/dpa

The player had a somewhat less noteworthy international career. Despite playing for three national teams, Argentina, Colombia and Spain, he never played in the World Cup finals. However, his most productive stint, with the Spanish national side, did result in an impressive yield of 23 goals in 31 games.

rc/mkg (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)