La Liga 11/04/1954 Celta de Vigo 1-0 Real Madrid Stadium: Balaidos, Vigo Full House ABC Madrid headlined: “Victory to Celta, which imposed their rough game over Madrid, in Balaidos” “The clashes between the players determined numerous suspensions, in front of the passivity of the referee” The text mentioned that Celta was fighting to stay alive in the first division; therefore they came out to battle hard and resorted to playing a rough game, tightly marking Madrid’s “aces” which did not favor Madrid, fearing that any injury could rule them out of the decisive game the following week. This is how Celta imposed their style of play in the first half, where Madrid rarely inflicted any danger. In the second half Madrid gained more terrain but without ever truly establishing serious danger, given that their key players continued to be tightly chained to the shackles of Celta’s defenders. The best performers of this game were mostly the defenders from both sides, particularly the defensive quartet of Celta, with Gaitos as the top man in the midfield. The defensive quartet of Madrid also transmitted security, especially with the defender Oliva standing out. The only goal arrived in the last minute of stoppage time of the first half when Villar lashed out a shot from the left wing toward goal beating GK Alonso. http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/04/13/045.html Mundo Deportivo headlined: “Against a team that played with great enthusiasm and decision, the leader was unable, in the second half in which they had territorial control, to reverse the result” A rough football, without brightness, with a Madrid side throwing men forward in the second half in search for an equalizer, but fortunately for the home side Madrid failed to break through, thanks in large part to the defensive tactics imposed by Celta. However there was one moment when Di Stefano could have leveled but his shot was decisively saved by the goalkeeper, according to the text. That was as close as Madrid ever came in the match to scoring. http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/HEM/1954/04/12/MD19540412-004.pdf The brief summary of the newspaper of La Vanguardia stated that the game was played fast but it was rough, with both sides pushing and shoving each other around in what was a “lackluster” affair. Once the home team scored they pulled their men back and held on to the final whistle. http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1954/04/13/pagina-23/32789445/pdf.html ABC Sevilla also mentioned the game was played at a fast pace but with caution. Both sides seemed too nervous. After Celta had scored in the 45th minute, Real Madrid dominated most of the possession in the second half, but couldn’t break through Celta’s wall of defence. Di Stefano, whom this time was unable to shine due to the nature of the game, was deprived of an equalizer in the final moments when his shot was saved from the keeper. http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/sevilla/abc.sevilla/1954/04/13/029.html Despite the defeat Real Madrid were still on the path to winning the league, with only two league matches remaining. They could coronate themselves champs in the next match against Valencia at home.
Thanks, mate. I'm on the verge of finishing this first season, with only a handful of reports left, and will cover the next season some time later this year when I have some free time.
La Liga 18/04/1954 Real Madrid 4-0 Valencia Stadium: Chamartin, Madrid 100.000 spectators The newspaper of MARCA headlined: "!Aliron: Madrid is already champion!" "Di Stefano scored three goals and was once again the star of his team" Mundo Deportivo repeated the same headlines in regards to Di Stefano and stated that their win was fully warranted by completely rolling over Valencia. The game was virtually decided after 30 plus minutes. For Valencia, their star player, Wilkes, was almost entirely shutdown by one of the best performers that Real Madrid had throughout this season, the defender Oliva. But Mateos, Olsen and Atienza also were praised for the home side. http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/HEM/1954/04/19/MD19540419-003.pdf The newspaper La Vanguardia headlined: "Di Stefano wins the league" After 20 years Real Madrid won again the Liga. The text stated this: "It would be an exaggeration to say that Di Stefano won the league. However the exaggeration would not be too far off from the reality. Naturally the other 11 men every Sunday that are a part of the team also count. But it would be curious to observe that the complete recuperation of Madrid, with a brilliant second half to the season, coincides with the total recuperation of Di Stefano, who again made us remember that player that we knew at Millonarios." As for the game itself, the text mentioned that Madrid started cautious and nervous, concerned of not slipping. Fortunately for them the ref was very inclined to favor the home team and Valencia simply had nothing at stake in this game. But it was all about Di Stefano. His two goals after 38 minutes brought tranquility to the home side. His first goal was converted with his head after connecting to a shot by Atienza. His second goal arrived after he deflected a shot from Mateos. He then was involved in the build up that led to Olsen's goal and finally finished with a hat trick by picking off a shot from Mateos in the second half. http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1954/04/20/pagina-15/32790051/pdf.html ABC Madrid headlined: "The Liga has already its champion: El Real Madrid" "The win secured the title that they had not won since 1933" (It was the 3rd league title the club had ever won). http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/04/20/031.html http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/04/20/032.html http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/04/20/033.html Summary: 3 goals (1 from header) Some highlights of the match at 2:58 http://www.rtve.es/filmoteca/no-do/not-590/1486418/ Below is a b&w photo of ABC Madrid's front cover of the team celebrating and Di Stefano in action heading the ball for his first goal. http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/04/20/013.html With Real Madrid already league champs, one meaningless game remained on the road against Espanyol.
You did great and your time is precious ... It's worthy the wait ... My wonder is how do we make a summary ...of Di Stefano, after all the good work, without you !
La Liga 25/04/1954 Espanyol 2-1 Real Madrid And so the final league match of the season arrived and, interestingly the Catalan newspaper of La Vanguardia expressed their sentiments pointing out that had this game been a title clinching match, the ref would probably have officiated in favor of Madrid to obtain that title. This feeling was made in the way the match was officiated by Mr. Tamarit, tolerating Madrid’s players to get away with unnecessary roughness, delaying the actions and interfering in Espanyol’s paths to goal. And remarkably, the newspaper even went out their way to bluntly state that refs like Tamarit have given half the league title to Madrid. In other words, Madrid won the championship thanks in large part to the officials. The author that wrote this was Santiago Garcia. Mundo Deportivo also echoed La Vanguardia’s views in regards to the officiating of Tamarit. But also pointed out that although Espanyol deservedly won, this Madrid side was more solid than the one that had faced Espanyol back in December. This was totally another team. Defensively solid, with a new keeper in Alonso replacing Pazos and with a midfield better tuned. The duo up front of Olsen and Di Stefano seemed to be the ideal one. In sum, a firm balanced squad. As for Di Stefano’s performance, he convinced with the simplicity of his game by being practical within the unit, not attempting to shine individually above the rest. The text also emphasized the importance of Olsen as Alfredo’s partner in attack and that the club should think twice before letting him go. ABC Madrid headlined: “El Madrid, in a hostile environment, made a great exhibition against Espanyol” The report stated that Madrid played an excellent first half, which was worthy of a champion, who had only performed “regularly” throughout the competition. The offensive trio of Di Stefano-Olsen-Mateos put constant danger on Espanyol’s backline. The text stated that “there were plays in which Di Stefano confirmed his unquestioned class, but also Parra demonstrated to be an exceptional central defender...” The goals: Espanyol took the lead after only one minute through Mauri. Real Madrid would level in the 14th minute when Di Stefano right on the edge of the center of the box set up Roque Olsen to his right. But Espanyol restored order in the second half with Marcet’s goal in the 57th minute. Summary: 1 assist http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1954/04/27/pagina-22/32790678/pdf.html http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1954/04/27/pagina-23/32790679/pdf.html http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/HEM/1954/04/26/MD19540426-003.pdf http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/04/27/029.html http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/04/27/030.html
[Friendly] 06/05/1954 Real Madrid 5-2 CD Cultural Leonesa No report I can find regarding this match. It was played according to this website http://leyendablanca.galeon.com/tempo54.HTM and was listed as an upcoming game, according to ABC Madrid: http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/05/06/030.html Apparently Di Stefano did not score and there is no details of the events. Next friendly would be against defending world champs, Uruguay.
Friendly 30/05/1954 Real Madrid 2-0 Uruguay Stadium: Chamartin, Madrid ABC Madrid headlined: "Just victory of Madrid over Uruguay" "The components of the world champs only practiced good football in very few moments" The victory was more symbolic than anything else, Madrid deserved to win, while Uruguay were criticized for their lackluster performance and their chances to repeat during WC54 in Switzerland put into question. Evidently they had not exerted themselves to their full potential in this match, despite utilizing such legends as Schiaffino or Varela. Mundo Deportivo headlined: "Real Madrid in a great game beat the NT of Uruguay: The Spanish defense was artifice of the triumph. The champs only played to train" The report stated that the champs "allowed playing", in clear reference to not taking this game seriously. This however did not negate the notion that they were viewed as a great side, technically superb, with a simple game. Di Stefano was once again one of the best performers in the offensive line, although to a less degree than in previous matches. The goalkeeper and defense of Madrid shone the brightest this time around, according to Mundo Deportivo. La Vanguardia headlined: "A complete round game for Madrid" For the Catalan newspaper this was perhaps the best game of the season, where everyone played well for the home side, but if they had to choose they would say the defense was what stood out above the rest. They were impressed with the Uruguayan side, especially in the first half and by Varela, who directed the midfield until he was replaced in the second period. But they recognized that Uruguay had not put their foot on the gas full throttle. This did not however take anything away from the Spanish team's win, a victory against the masters of football, according to the text. Summary: 1 goal http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/06/01/049.html http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/HEM/1954/05/31/MD19540531-004.pdf http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1954/06/01/pagina-27/32784645/pdf.html Di Stefano scored the first goal of the match.
Friendly 19/06/1954 Real Madrid 5-4 Athletic Bilbao Stadium: Chamartin, Madrid 125.000 spectators ABC Madrid headlined: "The festival of Madrid" This friendly match was to commemorate the finalization of building the Chamartin, with now the ability to seat 125.000 spectators. The report was brief but stated that the match was very entertaining, one of the best afternoons for the madrilenos. I could not find any details of the goals other than in this website:http://leyendablanca.galeon.com/tempo54.HTM According to them Di Stefano had 1 goal, but there are no details how the goals were scored. It is up to the discretion of the viewers to rely on this info; I could not confirm none of it. Summary: 1 goal http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/06/20/059.html http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1954/06/20/pagina-28/32786566/pdf.html
That was the last match of the season for Di Stefano in his first year at the club. I will give a statistical summary soon, but I have some final reflections of his debut season. It was undoubtedly a success. Madrid won the league title after a 21 year drought. He was their outstanding player that ultimately was viewed as the best player in Spanish football, at least for the Madrid press. But in the beginning it was tough for him, he was criticized at times, he flirted with returning back to Argentina to play at River Plate (07/02/1954 Deportivo de La Curuña 2-2 Real Madrid; post #103). He was not happy. But as time went by his level of play increased, he became the leader, his form reminded those of his best days at Millonarios. He went from less to more, struggled in the first half of the season, but was the best in the second half. The turning point was on 14/02/1954 when Real Madrid defeated Sevilla 1-0 and Alfredo took over the realms of the side and put it on his back. From then on his game got better and better; a player that exhibited a rare ability to perform multiple tasks on the field, in attack and in defence, to the point that he was unquestionably the best.
Overall summary of Alfredo Di Stefano matches 1953/54 I have put in red the friendly matches to differentiate from the league matches and in bold the goals and assists. Also please note that there were sources that varied in regards to the goals and assists and I've pointed that out beside the matches. 1953/54 23/09/1953 Real Madrid 2-4 Nancy [Friendly] 27/09/1953 Real Madrid 4-2 Racing Santander 1 goal (header) 1 assist 04/10/1953 Real Oviedo 0-4 Real Madrid 1 or 2 assists (sources vary) 11/10/1953 Real Madrid 2-1 Deportivo de La Curuña 1 goal 18/10/1953 Sevilla 2-1 Real Madrid 1 goal (free kick) 25/10/1953 Real Madrid 5-0 Barcelona 2 goals 1 assist 01/11/1953 Atletico de Madrid 3-4 Real Madrid 3 goals (2 PK’s) 08/11/1953 Real Madrid 0-0 Cruzeiros (Brazil) [Friendly] 15/11/1953 Real Madrid 1-1 Real Sociedad 19/11/1953 Real Madrid 3-2 Stade de Reims 1 goal [Friendly] 22/11/1953 Jaen 1-2 Real Madrid 1 goal (header) 1 assist 25/11/1953 Athletic de Bilbao 4-1 Real Madrid [Friendly] 29/11/1953 Real Madrid 1-2 Valladolid 1 goal 06/12/1953 Sporting de Gijon 1-1 Real Madrid 1 goal (PK) 08/12/1953 Real Madrid 0-6 Atletico Independiente (Argentina) [Friendly] 13/12/1953 Real Madrid 3-0 Celta de Vigo 1 goal 20/12/1953 Valencia 0-0 Real Madrid 27/12/1953 Real Madrid 4-3 Espanyol 1 goal 10/01/1954 Osasuna 1-1 Real Madrid 17/01/1954 Real Madrid 2-3 Athletic de Bilbao 1 assist 24/01/1954 Racing de Santander 1-1 Real Madrid 31/01/1954 Real Madrid 1-0 Real Oviedo 07/02/1954 Deportivo de La Curuña 2-2 Real Madrid 2 goals (1 header) 14/02/1954 Real Madrid 1-0 Sevilla 1 assist 21/02/1954 Barcelona 5-1 Real Madrid 1 goal 28/02/1954 Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico de Madrid 2 goals 07/03/1954 Real Sociedad 3-6 Real Madrid 1 goal; 2 goals or none ? (Sources vary) 2 assists 13/03/1954 Real Madrid 5-1 Real Zaragoza 1 goal [Friendly] 21/03/1954 Real Madrid 6-0 Jaen 2 goals (header and free kick) 28/03/1954 Valladolid 4-3 Real Madrid 1 goal 1 assist ? (Sources vary) 04/04/1954 Real Madrid 4-0 Sporting de Gijon 3 goals (1 PK) 11/04/1954 Celta de Vigo 1-0 Real Madrid 18/04/1954 Real Madrid 4-0 Valencia 3 goals (1 header) 25/04/1954 Espanyol 2-1 Real Madrid 1 assist 06/05/1954 Real Madrid 5-2 CD Cultural Leonesa [Friendly] 30/05/1954 Real Madrid 2-0 Uruguay 1 goal [Friendly] 19/06/1954 Real Madrid 5-4 Athletic Bilbao 1 goal [Friendly] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1953/1954 La Liga: 28 games – between 27 and 29 goals (sources varied) + between 9 and 11 assists (sources varied) Friendlies: 9 games – 4 goals (no assists confirmed) Total: 37 games - between 31 and 33 goals (sources varied) + between 9 and 11 assists (sources varied) Real Madrid scored 72 goals in the league and Di Stefano converted and assisted in between 50-55% of the team's goals. 4 of his goals came from the penalty spot and 5 with his head and he scored 2 from free kicks. He was also the top league scorer of the season.
Thanks, mate. Flattering words... Hmmm...well, if it does come to that, and I cannot continue, hopefully someone with the ability to read the Spanish language and interest in the topic will follow pursuit. Will continue the next season of 1954/55 later on this year. In the meantime, viewers are welcome to discuss and share their views about this player. As for me, I'll be on vacation for some time till later this year. So long folks...
Would you like to rate this Di Stefano's season? I think it would be really awesome, if you give a shot on it. Also @PuckVanHeel about some Cruyff seasons in his amazing thread. Would be very apreciated
Hi msioux75, Thanks for asking. Are you interested in a rating from 1 to 10? Or did you have something else in mind? I had written a brief overview here.
Well, first of all, it's difficult for me to rate it in numbers. I also don’t have a well-established reference point where I can measure his level of play in comparison from previous seasons in his career in South America. We do know from the Spanish newspaper articles that he was on more than one occasion compared to his form when he was at Millonarios. They based their evaluation on what they knew of him and at first were able to come to the conclusion that the Di Stefano that arrived at Real Madrid struggled and seemed to not be in the best physical form or shape from his days when he played in Colombia. That was the general impression and opinion in the first half of the season. The second half of the season is another story. That’s when he regains his past physical form and becomes an authentic all-field player, but more importantly, he is frequently omnipresent. He no longer shies away from the challenges. He becomes the patron on the field and leader of the squad. He accepts that responsibility. Long gone are those days when he wanted to return back home. Now he is widely regarded as the best player in Spanish football. So, for the first half of the season he is intermittent, he fades and goes unnoticed in matches, he is criticized at times for not producing the similar level of physical form that brought him to the club and flirts with the idea that he wants out. But the second half of the season (precisely the last two months) he rediscovers his old form and embraces the challenges that lay ahead. The fact that the club wins the league title after a 21 year drought only enhances his reputation. But in the eyes of some (mostly Catalan papers) that league title is surrounded by controversy, alleging that Madrid had the officials in their pockets. But despite that it turned out to be a very good season for Di Stefano. His journey would only get better. And... I suspect that we have still to review his best season yet! P.S. As previously mentioned, soon I’ll be going away for some time, so I’ll continue this later on this year.
Do you know about some polls for that time? Or do you base this on what both Madrid and Catalan (other parts) papers say? Like I said some times before; I know about some player/press poll putting Barcelona star Kubala and Valencia star Wilkes ahead of Di Stefano, but that's the only one I'm (in rough fashion) aware of. Very interesting btw that they so openly complain about the title; the censorship during those years is well known ('La Vanguardia' was forced to change their name and history books tell they became mildly supportive of the regime thanks to - forced - personnel changes).
I've not seen any polls; I based it only on the newspapers. However it must be noted that the Madrid papers were the ones that mostly placed Di Stefano ahead of the others by the end of the season. Edit: Here's an example: ABC Madrid: “Once again Di Stefano” “The rest of the story was written once again by Di Stefano. He scored the rest of the goals, indulging in the satisfaction of going ahead in the scoring charts ahead of Kubala, placing himself in first place where he belongs, because he, without any doubt is today the greatest player that walks these Spanish fields.” What polls are you referring to?
Just any polls you can possibly think of. Among colleagues, journalists, coaches whatever. Like I said, I posted it before, that something like that possibly existed is something I saw several years ago. http://elpais.com/diario/2006/08/30/agenda/1156888801_850215.html I started to check whether that was correct, and it was correct. But it is about the only 'poll' and year I know (in case you had not seen it or forgotten about it). Anyway, just asked whether you know.
I can't recall and I don't remember. How were you able to verify it? When I was reading through the last matches of the season, one newspaper (ABC Sevilla) said if they could vote for the best foreign player in Spain it would be for Di Stefano (this was in comparison with how the British voted for Tom Finney in 1954). It is apparent that such polls still were uncommon in Spain. http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/sevilla/abc.sevilla/1954/05/16/035.html
With some time to spare before I’m unavailable for some time (will be away in about a week or so), I’ll manage to squeeze in some reviews of the first few games of Di Stefano’s following season. First thing I will add is that for this new season of 1954/55 Real Madrid acquired the services of another talented Argentinian forward, Jose Hector Rial. He would become one of the key players for Madrid throughout the decade of the 1950s and would play an integral part of Madrid’s 5 consecutive European Cup wins.
And so Di Stefano kicked off his second season in a preseason friendly against second division side Real Murcia in top fashion, with a resounding 6-0 triumph. Friendly 29/08/1954 Real Murcia 0-6 Real Madrid Real Murcia: Gómez; Ferrándiz, Bazaco, Rubio, Bardají, José Luis, Navarro, Carrasco, Botella, Peiró (Insa 45´), Campillo (Pérez 45´). Real Madrid: J. Alonso; Navarro (Marquitos), Oliva, Lesmes, Muñoz, Atienza II (Britos), Atienza, Rial, Di Stéfano, Mateos (Marsal), Gento. Stadium: Rubial (Aguilas, Murcia) According to ABC Madrid, Real Madrid produced a great game where especially Mateos, Di Stefano, Rial, Navarro and Gento stood out. The newspaper does not mention the goalscorers or how they were scored, but it says it was a 6-0 win. However, according to the website below the scorers were these: http://leyendablanca.galeon.com/tempo55.htm Goals: 0-1 Mateos 34´, 0-2 Mateos 37´, 0-3 Mateos 40´, 0-4 Di Stéfano 73´, 0-5 Gento 77´, 0-6 Gento 85´. According to them Di Stefano had 1 goal, but there are no details how the goals were scored. It is up to the discretion of the reader to rely on this info; I personally could not confirm any of it. Summary: 1 goal http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/08/31/035.html Note: There was no other newspaper that I could find that covered this match. Next match is another friendly. To be continued....
Friendly 05/09/1954 Real Madrid 9-1 Hércules Real Madrid: J. Alonso (J. González 45´); Navarro (Marquitos 70´), Oliva, Lesmes, Muñoz, Atienza II (Zárraga 45´), Durán (Atienza 45´), Rial, Di Stéfano, Mateos (Marsal 70´), Gento. Hercules: Gas; Estenaga (Llevaría 45´), Navarro, Santos, Bello (Almagro 45´), Mascaró (Armengol 45´), Rodríguez, Domínguez, Xirau, Mecarle. In the last friendly match prior to La Liga's debut, Madrid fans were more curious to see what starting XI would be used and how well Hector Rial would perform. On the other hand, the visiting side, Hércules, had just ascended to the first division and fielded mostly a second class lineup for this match. This was a game that was simply viewed as unimportant for both sides. Details of how the goals were scored was not explained, but the goal scorers were the following: Goals: 1-0 Estenaga (pp) 2´, 2-0 Navarro (pp), 3-0 Durán, 4-0 Gento, 5-0 Mateos, 6-0 Rial, 7-0 Gento, 8-0 Di Stéfano, 9-0 Gento, 9-1 Xirau 91´. http://leyendablanca.galeon.com/tempo55.htm Summary: 1 goal http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/09/07/023.html http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1954/09/07/024.html Next match would be the league debut against Valencia. To be continued...