The eldest of three brothers, he was born of Italian parents and brought up in the suburbs of Buenos Aires where he had to shoulder the main burden of work on the family farm, something which may go some way to explaining his legendary stamina.
He signed for River Plate at the age of 15, making his debut for the first team two years later. He won two league titles while at River.
Di Stefano joined the exodus of talented Argentines who were attracted to the high wages paid in the Colombian pirate league when he moved to Millonarios of Bogota in 1949.
In less than four years he became the highest goal scorer in the history of the club, helping them to four league titles.
Also see: Dipika Pallikal: Guts and Glamour
Image: Laszlo Kubala (right) with team mate Alfredo Di Stefano during Spain's national team practice in Colombes, in the suburbs of Paris, on March 12, 1958
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