Alfredo di Stéfano

Real Madrid's greatest ever player whose five consecutive European Cups set the standard for club dominance.

Alfredo di Stéfano was born in Buenos Aires in 1926 and began at River Plate (1945–1949) with a loan at Huracán (1946), before Millonarios (1949–1953) in Colombia during a players' strike in Argentina. Real Madrid signed him in 1953 and he spent 11 seasons (1953–1964), scoring 308 goals in 396 appearances — the most prolific era in the club's history. He won 5 consecutive European Cups (1956–1960), scoring in each final including a hat-trick in the 1960 final — the game widely regarded as the greatest club match ever played. He earned 31 caps split between Argentina (6 goals), Colombia (4 goals) and Spain (23 caps, 23 goals). He scored 516 career goals and 186 assists in 764 appearances. His top speed of 30.1 km/h was exceptional and he covered the entire pitch — forwards, midfield and defence — in a way no player had before. He won the Ballon d'Or in 1957 and 1959. He won the Pichichi (Spanish top scorer) 4 times. A brief spell at Español (1964–66) closed his career. He later managed Valencia (winning La Liga 1971) and Real Madrid twice. He died in July 2014 aged 88.

• European Cup 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 (Real Madrid)
• La Liga 8x
• Copa del Generalísimo 1962
• Ballon d'Or 1957, 1959
• Pichichi 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958