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| Alfredo di Stéfano was one of football’s greatest trailblazers | Alfredo di Stéfano was one of football’s greatest trailblazers |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Alfredo Di Stéfano, who died on Monday at the age of 88 following a cardiac arrest, was a footballer ahead of his time. As the architect of the Ajax revolution in the late 1960s and early 70s Rinus Michels is widely credited with inventing total football but the Blond Arrow had begun playing it two decades earlier. | Alfredo Di Stéfano, who died on Monday at the age of 88 following a cardiac arrest, was a footballer ahead of his time. As the architect of the Ajax revolution in the late 1960s and early 70s Rinus Michels is widely credited with inventing total football but the Blond Arrow had begun playing it two decades earlier. |
| Attack, defence, goalscoring, goal prevention, goal creation and joining up the midfield dots, Di Stéfano could do it all. A supremely tactically aware amalgam of vision, skill, pace, power and controlled aggression, he routinely proved an opponent’s worst nightmare and was instrumental in helping Real Madrid secure five successive European Cups after the competition’s inception in 1955-56. | Attack, defence, goalscoring, goal prevention, goal creation and joining up the midfield dots, Di Stéfano could do it all. A supremely tactically aware amalgam of vision, skill, pace, power and controlled aggression, he routinely proved an opponent’s worst nightmare and was instrumental in helping Real Madrid secure five successive European Cups after the competition’s inception in 1955-56. |
| Such feats helped him collect two European Footballer of the Year awards in the late 1950s as well as earning him a unique accolade from his Madrid coach. “The greatness of Alfredo is that, with him in your side, you have two players in every position,” said Miguel Muñoz. | Such feats helped him collect two European Footballer of the Year awards in the late 1950s as well as earning him a unique accolade from his Madrid coach. “The greatness of Alfredo is that, with him in your side, you have two players in every position,” said Miguel Muñoz. |
| In reality this Buenos Aires-born phenomenon who would represent Argentina, Colombia and Spain at international level was best deployed as either a forward or attacking midfielder but there could be no doubting his versatility. Not for nothing did both Pelé and Eusébio describe Di Stéfano as “the most complete footballer in the history of the game”. Real marked his passing on Monday by referring to him as the “greatest player of all time”. | In reality this Buenos Aires-born phenomenon who would represent Argentina, Colombia and Spain at international level was best deployed as either a forward or attacking midfielder but there could be no doubting his versatility. Not for nothing did both Pelé and Eusébio describe Di Stéfano as “the most complete footballer in the history of the game”. Real marked his passing on Monday by referring to him as the “greatest player of all time”. |
| It helped that, at Real, he formed part of an attacking trinity also featuring Ferenc Puskas and Raymond Kopa, arguably the best front three to grace the same club side. | It helped that, at Real, he formed part of an attacking trinity also featuring Ferenc Puskas and Raymond Kopa, arguably the best front three to grace the same club side. |
| With considerable justification Di Stéfano and Puskas have been credited with responsibility for forever changing British attitudes to continental football. This epiphany occurred during the 1960 European Cup final at a bewitched Hampden Park, where he and Puskas scored seven goals between them as Eintracht Frankfurt were crushed 7-3 in front of a crowd of close on 130,000. | With considerable justification Di Stéfano and Puskas have been credited with responsibility for forever changing British attitudes to continental football. This epiphany occurred during the 1960 European Cup final at a bewitched Hampden Park, where he and Puskas scored seven goals between them as Eintracht Frankfurt were crushed 7-3 in front of a crowd of close on 130,000. |
| In August 1963 many of those present in Glasgow three years earlier maintained vigils by transistor radios and black and white television sets as they waited for news of a kidnapping in Caracas. | In August 1963 many of those present in Glasgow three years earlier maintained vigils by transistor radios and black and white television sets as they waited for news of a kidnapping in Caracas. |
| During Real’s pre-season tour to South America a group of Venezuelan revolutionaries aiming to achieve a Fidel Castro-type coup had burst into Di Stéfano’s room in Caracas’s Potomac hotel and taken him hostage at gunpoint. | During Real’s pre-season tour to South America a group of Venezuelan revolutionaries aiming to achieve a Fidel Castro-type coup had burst into Di Stéfano’s room in Caracas’s Potomac hotel and taken him hostage at gunpoint. |
| After being smuggled out of the building, he was blindfolded and held at an unidentified address for three days before finally being released near the Spanish Embassy. Having gained unprecedented publicity for their cause, the revolutionaries realised harming their famous hostage would be counter-productive. A day later an unfazed Di Stéfano played in a friendly against Porto insisting, “I’m a footballer not an icon,” while stressing how well his kidnappers had cared for him. | After being smuggled out of the building, he was blindfolded and held at an unidentified address for three days before finally being released near the Spanish Embassy. Having gained unprecedented publicity for their cause, the revolutionaries realised harming their famous hostage would be counter-productive. A day later an unfazed Di Stéfano played in a friendly against Porto insisting, “I’m a footballer not an icon,” while stressing how well his kidnappers had cared for him. |
| Despite a refreshingly humble streak, Di Stéfano was, as those revolutionaries recognised, a truly international icon in the days when the term “global village” was unheard of and the idea of something called the internet would have been deemed extreme science fiction. Indeed the only shame was that politics, injury and representing the wrong country at the wrong time conspired to ensure he never strutted his stuff in a World Cup. | |
| Considering the Blond Arrow played for three nations this can be construed as particularly unfortunate. The one-time River Plate prodigy’s international career began with Argentina before taking a detour in Colombian colours after migrating to that country to turn out for Millionarios of Bogotá during an Argentinian players’ strike. It was not long before South America’s then flexible rules on nationality enabled the exile to become an adopted Colombian – for four games only, although that quartet of caps was never formally recognised by Fifa. | Considering the Blond Arrow played for three nations this can be construed as particularly unfortunate. The one-time River Plate prodigy’s international career began with Argentina before taking a detour in Colombian colours after migrating to that country to turn out for Millionarios of Bogotá during an Argentinian players’ strike. It was not long before South America’s then flexible rules on nationality enabled the exile to become an adopted Colombian – for four games only, although that quartet of caps was never formally recognised by Fifa. |
| Spain, though, would capture his heart in an enduring mutual love affair that would see him score 23 goals in 31 games for his new homeland after finally completing a complicated, politically charged transfer to Real Madrid. | Spain, though, would capture his heart in an enduring mutual love affair that would see him score 23 goals in 31 games for his new homeland after finally completing a complicated, politically charged transfer to Real Madrid. |
| Unfortunately in 1954 Fifa ruled this re-born Iberian ineligible for World Cup participation, a decision not reversed until 1957, by which time he had been a Spanish citizen for 12 months and was 31 years old. | Unfortunately in 1954 Fifa ruled this re-born Iberian ineligible for World Cup participation, a decision not reversed until 1957, by which time he had been a Spanish citizen for 12 months and was 31 years old. |
| Much to his disappointment Spain failed to qualify for the 1958 finals and then, in 1962, Di Stéfano sustained an injury just before the tournament began. With Argentina having been one of several teams to withdraw from the 1950 edition - – the first to be played after World War Two – it meant one of the game’s outstanding individuals of the 20th century never illuminated its biggest stage. | Much to his disappointment Spain failed to qualify for the 1958 finals and then, in 1962, Di Stéfano sustained an injury just before the tournament began. With Argentina having been one of several teams to withdraw from the 1950 edition - – the first to be played after World War Two – it meant one of the game’s outstanding individuals of the 20th century never illuminated its biggest stage. |
| The Spanish football federation on Monday described Di Stéfano as “an unforgettable player” in the country’s history and added: “He was truly one of a kind on the pitch as well as off it, for his way of understanding life and the wisdom that he generously spread wherever he went.” | The Spanish football federation on Monday described Di Stéfano as “an unforgettable player” in the country’s history and added: “He was truly one of a kind on the pitch as well as off it, for his way of understanding life and the wisdom that he generously spread wherever he went.” |
| f there is a single World Cup luminary he can be likened to it is probably Zinedine Zidane. The parallel was even endorsed by the older man. “I was a little quicker,” said Di Stéfano when the Frenchman was at the height of his powers and wearing a Real shirt of his own. “But Zidane runs the same way and used some very similar tricks. He dominates possession, he has an eye for the spectacular and he has a glove in his foot.” | f there is a single World Cup luminary he can be likened to it is probably Zinedine Zidane. The parallel was even endorsed by the older man. “I was a little quicker,” said Di Stéfano when the Frenchman was at the height of his powers and wearing a Real shirt of his own. “But Zidane runs the same way and used some very similar tricks. He dominates possession, he has an eye for the spectacular and he has a glove in his foot.” |
| More than 300 goals for Real and eight La Liga titles in 11 seasons is a record even Zidane struggles to rival. Meanwhile no modern footballer can expect to break Di Stéfano’s record of scoring in five different European Cup finals. | More than 300 goals for Real and eight La Liga titles in 11 seasons is a record even Zidane struggles to rival. Meanwhile no modern footballer can expect to break Di Stéfano’s record of scoring in five different European Cup finals. |
| At a time when the world is mesmerised by a young Argentinian’s exploits in Brazil, the international game mourns a compatriot whose rare talent was capable of eclipsing even that of Lionel Messi. | At a time when the world is mesmerised by a young Argentinian’s exploits in Brazil, the international game mourns a compatriot whose rare talent was capable of eclipsing even that of Lionel Messi. |