Di Stéfano with the 5 European Cups he led Real Madrid to in the 1950s

Alfredo Di Stéfano has died aged 88 following the heart attack he suffered on Saturday. One of the greatest players in the history of the game will be sorely missed particularly in Madrid, where he was honorary president of Real and second all-time top scorer after leading them during their domination in the 1950s.

Real Madrid confirmed the news earlier and President, Florentino Perez said he and the club’s board would “like to express deepest condolences and all their love and affection to his children, their families and friends”.

Born in Buenos Aires, Di Stéfano is most famous for his exploits in Madrid and even went on to represent Spain after having played for both Argentina and Colombia, briefly towards the end of the 1940s.

Five consecutive European cups with Real between 1956-1960, scoring in each Final and two European Footballer of the Year Awards in 1957 and 1959, Di Stéfano is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

The term legend gets used perhaps a little too much in football but Di Stéfano certainly merits it.