Sir Alex Ferguson hails Alfredo Di Stefano
Sir Alex Ferguson hails Alfredo Di Stefano as one of the greatest players of all time
- Alfredo Di Stefano dies aged 88 after suffering heart attack
- Argentine won five successive European Cups with Real Madrid in 1950s
- Sir Alex Ferguson regards Di Stefano one of the greatest of all time
- Ferguson recalls Real's 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has labelled Alfredo Di Stefano as one of the greatest players of all time.
Di Stefano died on Monday afternoon after suffering a heart attack on Saturday, the day after he turned 88, resulting in him being placed in an induced coma.
Among the many tributes, Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo hailed Di Stefano as a 'maestro' while FIFA president Sepp Blatter described the Argentina-born forward as 'the most complete player'.
Di Stefano won five successive European Cups at Real Madrid between 1956 and 1960, scoring in all five fixtures - including a hat-trick in-front of a watching Ferguson at Hampden Park in 1960.
Greetings: Alfredo Di Stefano and Sir Alex Ferguson at the 1983 Cup Winners Cup final in Gothenburg
Victorious: Ferguson manager Aberdeen to victory over Di Stefano's Real Madrid in the 1983 final
Glory: Aberdeen captain Willie Miller holds aloft the trophy after their 2-1 win over Di Stefano's Real Madrid
He sits second on Real Madrid's all-time goalscoring list behind Raul and was an honorary president at the Bernabeu, with Ferguson ranking him among the very best.
'The great question that always comes up is who are the greatest players,' Ferguson said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News.
'Obviously there is a list of great ones like (Johan) Cruyff, (Diego) Maradona and Pele and of course (Ferenc) Puskas and of course Di Stefano - I thought he was one of the greatest in my mind.
'He had a fantastic balance and poise. If you look at one of the goals he scored in the final against Eintracht Frankfurt it was completely what we are saying about the balance and poise, unbelievable he was.
'I was very sad to hear the news. Even at 88 it is a bit of a shock. I saw him two years ago before our Real Madrid game and he looked fine and looked full of health so it is disappointing to hear the news.'
Iconic match: Di Stefano (right) scores the first goal of the 1960 final at Glasgow's Hampden Park. Real destroyed Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3
Legendary status: Di Stefano, here raising his glass during a tribute for his contribution to sport at the Argentina Embassy in Madrid, is Real Madrid's second highest goalscorer of all time
An abiding memory for Ferguson was being in attendance as Di Stefano put Frankfurt to the sword in a 7-3 drubbing that ensured a fifth straight European Cup.
"The amazing thing about that was, being a Rangers fan, Eintracht Frankfurt had beaten Rangers in the semi-finals 6-3, 6-1 so they were gods,' he said.
'They came to Hampden Park and were annihilated by Real Madrid 7-3. I was there in the schoolboy enclosure, I was playing with Queen's Park at the time, and it was a fantastic experience.
'It was the first time I think that a lap of honour was done after the game, Scottish fans hadn't seen that of course. Ten goals in a final, you won't see that again. It was a golden period for Real Madrid, they won it five times in a row and Di Stefano scored in all five finals.'
European champion: Di Stefano of Real Madrid poses with his incredible haul of five European Cups
Sad loss: Di Stefano celebrates with the original European Cup after Real beat Reims 4-3 in the 1956 final in Paris
The two would cross paths 23 years later when Ferguson, then manager of Aberdeen, met a Real Madrid side managed by Di Stefano in the 1983 Cup Winners' Cup final.
Against the odds it was Ferguson's Scottish underdogs who won the trophy that night, with the Glaswegian impressed by Di Stefano's grace in defeat.
'My greatest memory of course is when Aberdeen beat Real Madrid,' he added.
'I was honoured to be in the same game as Real Madrid but to come up against Di Stefano was an incredible experience for me.
Argentine heroes: Di Stefano (left) with Deigo Maradona in 1995
Legend of the game: Di Stefano with United heroes Sir Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes (left, third right) and with Real forward Raymond Kopa after the 1957 European Cup win (far right)
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