Alfredo Di Stéfano, probably the greatest player in Real Madrid’s history, has died at the age of 88.
‘Real Madrid announce that its honorary president, Alfredo Di Stéfano, died on Monday at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón in Madrid,’ confirmed a club statement. ‘The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, and the club board would like to express its deepest condolences and all their love and affection to their children, their families and friends. Real Madrid extends condolences to those Madridistas around the world and those who feel emotion at the loss of the best player of all time.’
The former Argentina, Colombia and Spain international suffered a heart attack in the street near Real Madrid’s Bernabéu stadium on Saturday – the day after his birthday – and had been in an induced coma in intensive care at Gregorio Marañon hospital. Di Stéfano was attended to by emergency medical services before being transferred to hospital. The cardiac arrest lasted 18 minutes, according to the emergency services.
Di Stéfano has had several health scares in recent years and underwent a quadruple aorta-coronary bypass with a pacemaker implanted in December 2005 after suffering a myocardial infarction. After joining Real in 1953, he helped turn them into one of the world’s leading sides, winning five straight European Cups and scoring in each final between 1956 and 1960.
The Argentina-born forward also won eight Spanish league titles and was voted European player of the year in 1957 and 1959. He left Real in 1964 at the age of 38 having scored more than 300 goals across 11 seasons. Di Stéfano played at international level for three countries but never appeared at the World Cup.
‘Real Madrid announce that its honorary president, Alfredo Di Stéfano, died on Monday at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón in Madrid,’ confirmed a club statement. ‘The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, and the club board would like to express its deepest condolences and all their love and affection to their children, their families and friends. Real Madrid extends condolences to those Madridistas around the world and those who feel emotion at the loss of the best player of all time.’
The former Argentina, Colombia and Spain international suffered a heart attack in the street near Real Madrid’s Bernabéu stadium on Saturday – the day after his birthday – and had been in an induced coma in intensive care at Gregorio Marañon hospital. Di Stéfano was attended to by emergency medical services before being transferred to hospital. The cardiac arrest lasted 18 minutes, according to the emergency services.
Di Stéfano has had several health scares in recent years and underwent a quadruple aorta-coronary bypass with a pacemaker implanted in December 2005 after suffering a myocardial infarction. After joining Real in 1953, he helped turn them into one of the world’s leading sides, winning five straight European Cups and scoring in each final between 1956 and 1960.
The Argentina-born forward also won eight Spanish league titles and was voted European player of the year in 1957 and 1959. He left Real in 1964 at the age of 38 having scored more than 300 goals across 11 seasons. Di Stéfano played at international level for three countries but never appeared at the World Cup.