All the all-time greats are known by a single name: Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Maradona, Eusébio, and Pelé. But the greatest to ever play the game may actually be Di Stéfano, which happens to the title of Ian Hawkey’s latest book.
Hawkey is a brilliant writer, best known for being the European football correspondent for The Sunday Times until 2012 and for composing the critically acclaimed Feet of the Chameleon: The Story of African Football.
Don’t take our word for it: Eusébio, Bobby Charlton, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Pelé all have said that Di Stéfano is indeed the best.
Di Stéfano was the game’s first global superstar and a pioneer of European football. He was a globetrotter of sorts, a player and brand that was at least 50 years ahead of his time. He was the first of the galácticos, a group that included Paco Gento, Ferenc Puskás, and Pepe Santamaría.
You could call Di Stéfano an explorer or an adventurer as the game took him just about everywhere. There were happy moments of lifting hardware and collecting accolades and tense ones that included a terrifying abduction in Venezuela and a longtime fear of flying.
Di Stéfano later became a coach and was even the honorary president of Real Madrid from 2000. He was a man that was never forgotten by the Madridistas; they unfurled a massive tifo bearing his name in March 2016. The hardware he brought to Real Madrid as a player and coach was absolutely staggering: two Ballons d’Or, a Super Ballon d’Or, a Copa del Rey, an Intercontinental Cup, a Spanish Super Cup, eight league championship trophies, and five European Cups. His accomplishments and talent made him larger than life, a player that was simply amazing.
Di Stéfano, an offering from Ebury Press, is the definitive text on his life, family, and career. It actually does this incredible man justice, which is probably the greatest compliment you could ever give.
