#8 Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain) - two-time Ballon d'Or winner
Ferenc Puskas narrowly misses out on our list. But his Real Madrid teammate Alfredo Di Stefano remains a staple in debates about the greatest players of all time.
Born in Argentina, the Blond Arrow only played a handful of games for his country of birth. He chose to represent Spain, where he spent most of his club career. Di Stefano arrived in Madrid in 1953 at the start of the most successful period in Los Blancos' history. A decade later, he departed as the greatest player to have represented the iconic club.
Di Stefano and Real Madrid won an astonishing five European Cups before his exit from the Spanish capital in 1964. The Blond Arrow scored in all five finals.
They also won eight La Liga titles, with Di Stefano clinching five Pichichi awards. Two Ballon d'Or awards followed, in 1957 and 1959, as Di Stefano ended with 267 goals in 348 appearances for Real Madrid.
Legendary football coach Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Di Stefano, saying:
"The great question which always comes up is ‘who are the greatest footballers?’ There is a phalanx of great ones – Cruyff, Maradona, Pele, Puskas and Di Stefano. Di Stefano was one of the greatest in my mind."
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