Di Stéfano, Alfredo (1926-2014), was an Argentina -born professional soccer player. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, he starred for Spain ’s Real Madrid CF , one of soccer’s greatest teams. CF stands for club de fútbol, meaning football club. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Di Stéfano, considered one of the greatest players in soccer history, also played for the Argentine and Spanish national teams. Di Stéfano was a powerful forward and a prolific scorer. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials) . After his playing career, Di Stéfano enjoyed a successful coaching career and spent his last years as honorary president of Real Madrid.
Alfredo Di Stéfano Laulhé was born in Buenos Aires , Argentina, on July 4, 1926. He began his professional soccer career with his hometown club, CA River Plate, in 1943. CA stands for club atlético, meaning athletic club. While there, his talents—and fair hair—earned him the nickname “la Saeta Rubia” (the Blond Arrow). Di Stéfano first played for the Argentine national team in 1947. A soccer strike drove him to Colombia in 1949, where he played for the Millonarios Fútbol Club in Bogotá .
In 1953, Di Stéfano transferred to Real Madrid. In 1954, “los Blancos” (the Whites) won their first La Liga title in 21 years. La Liga is Spain’s top soccer league. Di Stéfano and Real went on to win the league title seven more times. His Real teammates included Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás, French star Raymond Kopa, and Paco Gento of Spain.
In 1956, Di Stéfano became a Spanish citizen and played the first of many matches for the Spanish national team. That same year, his Real Madrid club won the first championship of Europe ’s elite annual tournament, the European Cup (now called the Champions League ). Real went on to win the next four tournaments as well, and Di Stéfano was named European Footballer of the Year in 1957 and 1959. In 1964, Di Stéfano transferred to the Barcelona club Espanyol, where he finished his professional playing career in 1966.
From 1967 until 1991, Di Stéfano coached for clubs in Spain, Argentina, and Portugal. In 2000, he took on the ceremonial role of honorary president of Real Madrid. Di Stéfano died in Madrid on July 7, 2014.
