Madrid to play River Plate in tribute to Di Stefano
Real Madrid will play River Plate in an exhibition match to honor legendary Argentine forward Alfredo Di Stefano, who played for both clubs, Madrid said on its Web site Wednesday.
Real Madrid will play River Plate in an exhibition match to honor legendary Argentine forward Alfredo Di Stefano, who played for both clubs, Madrid said on its Web site Wednesday.
The game will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Sept. 23, four days before the 50th anniversary of Di Stefano's debut for Madrid. The winner will lift the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy. Di Stefano began his career with River Plate before moving on to Colombia's Millionarios in 1949. After a tug of war between FC Barcelona, Di Stefano joined Madrid in 1953 and went on to become its most illustrious player.
Voted European soccer player of the year in 1957 and 1959, the star forward gained five consecutive European Cup winners medals, scoring in each final. Di Stefano also won eight Spanish league winners medals. He became Madrid's honorary president in 2000.