Last update 12 January, 2023 por Alberto Llopis
The great Alfredo Di Stefano was one of the best players in history. Charismatic, with a single class and a huge nose for scoring goals, without him, football would not equal. Con don Alfredo, the football world stepped forward in history.
Born a 4 de julio de 1926 in the great Buenos Aires, “Saeta Rubia the, nickname which is also known, began his first steps with the ball in River Plate, where made debut 15 de julio de 1945 in a match against Huracan, cuando tan solo contaba con 19 years. Ese mismo año, and despite playing the only game, She helped him to score his first title: the Argentine League.
The beginnings of Don Alfredo
Precisamente, I would go on loan to Huracán Of Stefano one year later. Ese año, would be the highlight for the Saeta. More minutes on the field, achieved record 10 goals in 25 meetings, He is beginning to make flashes of his enormous quality and potential. Good performance that would allow him to return to River in 1947, where he would devote himself as a national figure. 27 many in 29 parties Don Alfredo allowed to achieve the league and win the trophy for top scorer. But above all fulfill a dream: wear the shirt of the Albiceleste, with which would get the America's Cup 1947 held in Ecuador.
Get a cup with a starring role, it achieved mark 6 goals in 6 encounters finishing second top scorer surpassed only by the Uruguayan Falero. Those six parties would be history by being the only ones who get to play with Don Alfredo Argentina, after the resignation of the albiceleste to the World 50 y 54. Precisamente, one of the great Di Stefano moles throughout his career was the fact he had never managed a World Cup.
Two years would pass Di Stefano at River Plate, until a terrible footballers playing in 1949 He ended the footballer saturating in the Millonarios of Bogota. Argentine football crisis caused a massive exodus of Argentine players outside their borders and Colombia was one of the destinations chosen by most.
En Colombia, Di Stefano would endorse everything that had been offered in Argentina. Regattas, velocidad, arrival, pase, and goal, long shot. Besides, He would have the luck to have a good bunch of mates like Pedernera, Rossi, Baeza and Cozzi. This was going to cost to get three league titles and two top scorer in his three-year stay in the coffee country. Pero sobre todo, impress the world with its displays.
The Blue Ballet and the controversy between Madrid and Barcelona
So huge were those exhibitions, many European clubs were raffled the presence of this “Ballet Azul” (nickname which was known for his brilliant team game). In one of those brilliant demonstrations quality, Alfredo Di Stefano break football history forever.
The celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Real Madrid 30 de marzo de 1952 ,It represented an ideal way to show all the power of Millonarios and Saeta occasion. And Don Alfredo, I was not going to fail. In an exhibition game, football and goals, Colombians defeated Real Madrid by 2-4 Santiago Bernabeu before a surrender to the magic of a different player.
So impressive was his demonstration, that a year later, during the dispute of the former Small Club World Cup, Santiago Bernabeu in person traveled to Colombia to take over its services. A negotiation that despite, no resultó sencilla, because Barcelona had already reached an agreement with River Plate, club that had their rights but that did not play by that strike.
In fact, the Saeta He came to wear the Barça shirt and play a friendly match with the Catalan club against Basque da Gama. Finally, and after the intervention of the Spanish Football Federation, en septiembre de 1953, Of Stefano was confirmed as a Real Madrid player
Di Stefano's arrival at Real Madrid after his controversy with Barça
The arrival of the Saeta Rubia changed the course of Spanish football and world. The Barcelona, clear dominator until the time, He saw the Real Madrid master of the League was made after 20 years of drought. From the League and also from Europe, well in the 10 years in the Merengues, Don Alfredo won eight league, 5 European Cups, una Intercontinental Cup in 1960 and one Copa del Generalissimo.
All this to achieve a brand 418 more goals 500 parties with the white elastic. At Real Madrid, all the immense game Di Stefano would. verticality, desmarque, goalscorer, imagination and a lot of technique, Don Alfredo so that it was possible from seeing a hooky to an unlikely Dodge.
All of this, with a truly unique character that made the cover of more than one-sporting news. Anthologies were his phrases like ” football match without goals is like a Sunday sunless” o “I do not ask you to stop shots that go inside, but at least do not go outside those goals” o “score goals is like making love, todo el mundo sabe cómo se hace, but none does it better than I”.
Nationalization and matches with Spain
Ten years not only gave for much in the Real Madrid. In 1956, Alfredo nationalize Spanish which allowed him the opportunity to play with Spain. With the selection, despite becoming the top scorer in the history until the arrival of Butragueño( 23 goals in 31 parties), Of Stefano I would not be able to turn the dream of playing in a World Cup into reality. Elimination in qualifying in 1958, and an untimely injury before the World Cup 62, They deprive him of that fact.
His kidnapping in Caracas, one of the worst moments of his life
Remarkable was also his kidnapping in 1963, by a Venezuelan revolutionary group during the dispute over the Club World Cup in Caracas. 72 hours of hell and doubts about their status that eventually resulted in the release of the player. They were famous images of the Spanish-Argentine playing chess awaiting rescue.
After playing the last two years at Espanyol, in 1966, Don Alfredo put an end to his sporting life as a player. Con él, it was one of the greatest footballers ever and gave way to a great coach. Muchos años después, He was named honorary president of the white club. A legend like Don Alfredo deserved no less.