Happy Birthday Di Stefano!

Champagne corks will be popping in Madrid on Wednesday to celebrate the 75th birthday of Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano.

Considered by many to be the club's greatest player of all-time, Di Stefano was born on July, 4 1926 in Buenos Aires to Italian parents.

He developed an interest in football and joined Argentine giants River Plate at the age of 15. He soon carved out a place in the first team's famous forward line, La Maquina, alongside
strikers Adolfo Pedenera and Labruna, gaining the nickname, 'La Saeta Rubio' (The Blonde Arrow).

After a brief spell at Huracan, Di Stefano signed for Atlanta but returned to River Plate in 1947 notching up an average of three goals a game in the club's championship winning year.
Two years later, he joined Columbian outfit, Millionarios where he was the "Pichichi" on two
occasions, in 1951 with 31 goals and 1952 (20 goals).

In 1953, Di Stefano moved to Europe joining Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The player reached his peak at the Bernabeu, helping Real to lift eight league championships, five European Cups, two Latin Cups, one World Club Championship and one Spanish Cup in his 11 year stint at the club.

Di Stefano was twice named as European Footballer of the year while at Real, in 1957 and then again in 1959.

He hung up his boots in 1964, returning to the game in 1970 to coach Boca Juniors, but after another championship win in his first year he moved back to Spain to guide Valencia to their second league title in 1971.

Di Stefano stayed with the Che until 1980 when he went back to Argentina to coach his old club River Plate and was made Real Madrid's honorary president by club chairman Florentino Perez last year.