Real Madrid were not always the biggest club in the world. Alfredo Di Stéfano is a large part of the reason they became it.
The Argentine-born star won five consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid between 1956 and 1960, and he scored in every one of those five finals. In the last of them, in 1960, he scored a hat-trick in a match widely regarded as the greatest club game ever played.
Why is Di Stéfano ranked among the midfielders?
Because he played everywhere. Di Stéfano could turn out as a midfielder, a forward or anywhere else on the pitch, and he is often described as the original total footballer. The position on the team sheet mattered less than where the ball was.
The personal record backs up the reputation:
- Two Ballon d'Or awards, in 1957 and 1959
- More than 300 goals for Real Madrid
- Widely considered the greatest player in the club's history
He was the most complete footballer of the 1950s and 1960s, and the foundation of the Madrid dynasty. Five European Cups, five final goals, and a club that still trades on what he started.
Tomorrow: number 4.
