AC Milan vs Real Madrid (European Cup semifinal) A preview of the return leg. ABC Madrid The-two teams fear each other a lot, and although the sports writers say that in football anything can happen, and that it is possible that Milan will exceed the two goals that they have at a disadvantage, they express themselves with little conviction. Old age, tiredness, the need for a thorough renovation, according to its critics. According to Enzo Ferrari, Real Madrid is much stronger than the team of Rapid, thunderously beaten in the previous tie. "The defense of Madrid - says Ferrari - is not unbeatable: but the strength of the “Squadra” is that everyone runs and that everyone helps each other where there is danger. In Spain I have seen many times Di Stéfano retreat to his own area and conquer there the ball. However, in that unfortunate match in Madrid, we could have done better. And Tuesday's match might seem less ugly than it is now; it would be a great blow to re-establish equality ... "Luigi Sacarambone affirms that Mariani did a dark job in front of Pro Patria in the last league match, and that Valli is doing very well to do the "clown". "Of the defense - he adds - it would be preferable not to speak, because the judgment is negative not only in the exam of Maldini, Ganzer and Radice, also Buffon.” The judgment is harsh, but accurate. From the "hall" of our hotel we witnessed the same on Saturday a part of the Milan-Pro Patria Serie A game. The last table team scored absurd goals and goalkeeper Buffon had three or four really bad mistakes. If this time Real Madrid does not get ahead of their difficult tie, they will have very bad luck. Of course, the dangerous men in Milan — the two insiders and the two middle men — didn't play on Saturday, but the danger comes down to those four men. Will Real Madrid hold them? That's the problem. And from our point of view it is a fundamentally moral problem. It has been magnified, in connection with Milan, and the white team is going to start the game with a lot of nerves, that is where defeat may come. But if you play with faith in yourself and with some speed you can not only secure the knockout, but you can win the match. It is a pity that those two goals stupidly yielded to the red-black forwards due to failures in our defense are now so much in the odds and above all, in the morale of our men, because Madrid, playing calmly, would be superior to that fatigued Milan at some points and with soft men like Schiaffino and Ricagni who are his best players right now, but prone to discouragement if attacked with vigor and without hesitation. The conduct of our defense in the first quarter of an hour will be the key to the match. https://www.abc.es/archivo/periodicos/abc-madrid-19560501-49.html
Don Balón (February 1977) Eusebio: “Di Stefano has been the greatest” “Pelé is great. Cruijff is great. Beckenbauer is great. But like Di Stefano, no one. He has been the most complete, the number 1.”
European Cup (semifinals) 01/05/1956 AC Milan 2-1 Real Madrid (2nd leg) Stadium: Comunale di San Siro, Milan Official: Erich Steiner (Austria). Spectators: 30000 Goles: 0-1 (65′) Joseíto. 1-1 (69′) Dal Monte de p. 2-1 (86′) Dal Monte de p. AC Milan: Lorenzo Buffon; Cesare Maldini, Francesco Zagatti; Nils Liedholm, Franco Pedroni, Luigi Radice; Amos Mariani, Eduardo Ricagni, Gunnar Nordahl, Juan Alberto Schiaffino, Giorgio Dal Monte <entrenador: Héctor Puricelli>. Real Madrid CF: Juanito Alonso; Ángel Atienza, Marquitos Alonso, Rafael Lesmes; Miguel Muñoz, José María Zárraga; Joseíto Iglesias, Roque Olsen, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Héctor Rial, Francisco Gento <entrenador: José Villalonga>. Reservas: Javier Berasaluce, Joaquín Oliva, Manolín Martínez y José Luis Pérez-Payá. ABC Madrid headlined: “The official Steiner took victory away from Madrid, who are now the European finalists, a legitimate win at the San Siro” “Villalonga got his tactics right, and Di Stefano, who played practically as a center midfielder, contributed in an effective way for the win” [...] Madrid has played a great game, knowing how to find the exact triac against the slow and super technical, but cold, style of Milan. Di Stéfano, placed in the center of the field, retreating to his area when necessary, but reaching the opponent's goal if the occasion arose, was the soul of the white success, helped by Muñoz's exceptional afternoon, very secure in the cut and successful in the organization of the attacks of his team, while Marquitos, admirably flanked by Atienza and Lesmes, turned Nardhal into a shadow, and Ricagni never found a place to put the ball and create dangers, as we saw him do in Chamartín. Strictly speaking, the technique of the short and precise pass practiced by Madrid, today revealed itself superior to the long pass and the hole, tried without luck by Milan. Only Olsen, on the worst afternoon of his life, missed the white lines. Gento was dark because of Maldini's iron tickling, but he was helpful at all times. Rial and Joseíto struggled with efficiency, and Zárraga worked tirelessly, covering banks and snatching back balls [...] https://www.abc.es/archivo/periodicos/abc-madrid-19560502-43.html https://www.abc.es/archivo/periodicos/abc-madrid-19560502-44.html Mundo Deportivo: “Correct tactic from Madrid, who retreated at times, but without losing their offense when permitted. This tactic was in large parts thanks to the genius of Di Stefano, who almost always was situated between the midfield and defense, but also capable of launching counter attacks. He took control of the baton, not only for the attack but for the whole team. That way, Di Stefano was without a doubt the best player amongst the 22 men on the field” http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1956/05/02/pagina-6/640419/pdf.html Marca Madrid: “Di Stefano and Marquitos were the best players of Madrid. The first one played as a center midfielder and organized the entire team. The second one shut down Nordahl” Opinions of the protagonists: Di Stefano: “I played retreated because we had to wait for Milan who were obligated to revert the score. With Madrid two goals in the bag was enough to go through. For the way we played we deserved to win, but if they award them penalties which weren’t penalties, then what can we do ?” Héctor Puricelli: “The Madrid defense has played infinitely better than in the first game. There they had many failures; here, none” José Villalonga: "The team played exactly as planned: we contained Milan's attacks and scored a goal because to score goals we had left people ahead with possibilities to do so." “I have used the 3-3-4 tactic, retreating Di Stéfano, to keep three midfielders and three forwards at the top, except for one interior, which was swapped with another in the liaison tasks. The tactic was strictly followed, but the result is by all accounts, unfair. I think the fair would have been a draw, and as for the two "penalties", it is preferable not to speak” Nordhal, captain: "I have tried all afternoon to avoid the narrow mark to which I was subjected by the Madrid midfield, but luck did not accommodate me. Perhaps the last" penalty "was a bit rigorous; First, in my opinion, it was clear and decisive. I congratulate Real Madrid for their success in the tie.” Buffón, Milan goalkeeper: “Joseíto's shot caught me off guard. I did everything I could to stop the ball, throwing myself straight, but I was only able to touch it with the tip of my fingers. The Real Madrid goalkeeper made at least two saves that normally should have been goals.” Ricagni. interior: "The Madrid team made the meeting that suited them, based on the phenomenal work of my compatriot Di Stéfano. The defense was just correct. I believe that Real Madrid has only won the tie." Schiaffino, inside : "The Madrid midfield, the central defender and the goalkeeper have steered their team to the final." Steiner, referee: "The game was technically judged by the two teams. I could not omit sanctioning with "penalties" the two fouls committed in the Madrid area, of course, in my opinion. The players discussed, perhaps excessively, my decisions.”
With Di Stefano regarded as the best performer in San Siro, as the fulcrum of the team, now Real Madrid awaited Stade De Reims of París in the final of the first European Cup. A clash between Di Stefano and Raymond Kopa, France’s most famous player of his generation.
ABC Madrid’s preview of the European Cup Final. “THE FINAL OF THE EUROPEAN CUP HAPPENS IN PARIS, WHERE IT RAINS AND IT'S COLD” It's raining over Paris, it's raining and it's cold, and the clouds seem to be pinned to the huge pin on the Eiffel Tower as the Real Madrid players take to the field of the Parc des Princes for a training session, on the eve of their final match of the Cup of Europe with the Stade de Reims. Villalonga takes great care of the state of health, of the physical form, of his boys. For this reason, Alonso, Juanito, González, Oliva, Manolín and Di Stéfano are subjected to strong training, while Marquitos, Atienza, Marsal, Gento and Rial limit themselves to performing physical loosening exercises and the others simply submit to a session massage and showers. The battle of next Wednesday fascinates this huge city that seems to be interested in nothing. The newspapers have dedicated these days large surfaces to publish huge photographs of the crowd queuing at night at the ticket offices to acquire seats that were going to be impossible. Half a million demands could not be in any way, some satisfied, since the Park of the Princes does not exceed 50,000 tickets capacity. The resonance of this first final of the European Cup is so great that in these twenty-four hours of stay in Paris we have already met the special envoys of all the European newspapers whose teams participated in the brilliant international tournament. The mystery, as always, surrounds the lineups that the two rivals will draw on Wednesday. This afternoon Villalonga has been extremely reserved with the French journalists, telling them that the line-up will depend, to a great extent, on the recovery shown by his men after the training session that has just ended. But we think we know that the Real Madrid line-up on this decisive day will be the following: Alonso: Atiensa. Marquitos, Lesmes: Muñoz. Zárraga; Joseíto, Marsal, Di Stéfano, Rial and Gento. There are only doubts about the use of Marsal as a right insider or the departure, ultimately, of Pérez Paya, and that will not be decided until tomorrow afternoon. There are also reservations in the headquarters of the Stade de Reims, where today, the Paris newspapers are judging as a team that has regained its form with the incorporation of some of the internationals who had been injured. Probably the French formation is most likely: Jocquet: Zitnmy, Jonquet. 'Giraude; Sciatka, Cicci; Hidalgo, Glovacki, Kopa, Leblond and Bliard. It is not this formation that is final, nor that the military situation of Sciatka and Bliard may force the "remois" coach to make some changes. If the mid-wing could not line up, Leblond would go to the middle line and Templin would enter as left back, passing Bliard to the inside post. But all this news, sniffed by us in the sports centers of Paris, I do not know more than clouds of smoke to hide the true intentions of the French team. It is possible that Kopa came out at the last minute as the far right with the intention of avoiding the dreaded Zárraga mark. But Villalonga has also studied these possibilities. Although the great player occupies the old position of his triumphs, Zárraga's vigilance does not mean that the whole secret of the final of the European Cup depends on the performance of Kopa, who is said to have to undergo strong anti-pain injections to play this match. Bliard, fearsome goal shooter, and Glovacki, insider of the French national team, are players of enormous danger who can decide a match in a few minutes. The general impression is that the two teams have met again in great shape for this final because the draw of Real Madrid with the league champion, Atlético Bilbao, is highly estimated here, and on the other hand, importance is given to the recent triumph of Reims playing with the Brazilian Botafogo. This morning, the players and managers of Real Madrid, accompanied by journalists and Spanish press correspondents in the French capital, were welcomed at the Spanish Embassy and presented with an aperitif. All of Paris is awaiting the final of this great tournament that has turned out to be the European Cup, and it is evident that in the evaluation that our international football currently has a defeat or victory for Real Madrid will greatly influence the world. Once again, the strong Madrid team wears the prestige of Spanish football on its white jersey. https://www.abc.es/archivo/periodicos/abc-madrid-19560612-55.html
I will do the final in two parts since I decided to give a complete translation of ABC Madrid’s play-by-play of the match. The second part will involve a shorter summary of other sources involved with commentary from the protagonists. Many viewed this final as Di Stefano vs Kopa, two of the best players on the continent at the time. Part 1 European Cup Final 13/06/1956 Real Madrid 4-3 Stade de Reims Stadium: Parc des Princes, París Official: Arthur Edward Ellis (England) Spectators: 38,200 REAL MADRID, 4; STADE DE REIMS, 3. Goles: 0-1 (6′) Leblond. 0-2 (10′) Templin. 1-2 (14′) Di Stéfano. 2-2 (30′) Rial. 2-3 (62′) Hidalgo. 3-3 (67′) Marquitos. 4-3 (79′) Rial. Real Madrid CF: Juanito Alonso; Ángel Atienza, Marquitos Alonso, Rafael Lesmes; Miguel Muñoz, José María Zárraga; Joseíto Iglesias, Ramón Marsal, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Héctor Rial, Francisco Gento <José Villalonga>. Reservas: Juanito González, Joaquín Oliva, Manolín Martínez y José Luis Pérez-Payá. Stade de Reims: René Jacquet; Simon Zimny, Robert Jonquet, Raoul Giraudo; Michel Leblond, Robert Siatka; Michel Hidalgo, Léon Glovacki, Raymond Kopa, René Bliard, Jean Templin <Albert Batteux>. ABC Madrid headlined: “Madrid has won the European Cup in the most extraordinary match ever seen at the Parc des Princes” “Reims played their best game in years, but was beaten by the great moral reaction of the white team” Real Madrid is, for a few minutes, the first champion of the European Cup. The lights of the Parc des Princes have just been turned off, and the crowd remains in the grandiose astonished, stunned by the emotions of the extraordinary futbol match that has been witnessed. Neither the supporters of the victors sing their joy, nor do the friends and the vanquished give vent to their bitterness. A feeling of admiration and respect takes hold of this crowd, which without fully realizing the profound meaning of what they have seen, intuits the moral values of the great Madrid victory and unwittingly pays that moment of enormous silence, which is a true homage to heroes, whether they are of history or sports. In fact, everyone was expecting a lot from the sensational meeting between Reims and Madrid, praised shortly before the "match" by the big headlines in the French press. Everyone knew that two great teams were going to measure their weapons. That twenty-two men led by almost mythological heroes — Kopa and Di Stefano — and spurred on by the desire to win, would deploy their best weapons in a struggle that had no other outcome than triumph or defeat. But what no one had guessed was that the team that after ten minutes of play savored the honeys of the most spectacular triumph of their career would be defeated, and that, instead, the side that seemed overwhelmed by the blows. The adversaries would stand fiercely and proudly over their own initial failures to build on such hardships the magnificent feat of their victory. For this reason, when the eleven white players left the field of play and the dark grass was once again deserted under the distant light of the stars, the public, recovered from their emotional astonishment, slowly left the stands. They had seen a great champion born and had received from him the supreme Olympic lesson: the most wretched auspices, the most unfavorable beginnings can be overcome when the muscle receives the impulse directly from the heart and it does not faint. Everything can be overcome when man knows how to maintain, elastic tensions, the supreme springs of the will. Because Real Madrid had started their battle badly, Reims, launched on the attack, played the vertiginous "tourtillon" in front of the white air that disconcerted the defense, and in a quick attack, after a corner kick forced by Kopa to put the ball at the feet of Giovacky, who shot very hard, Leblond, had headed the ball half a meter into the Madrid goal when only seven minutes had elapsed. Then, before the nervous Madrid managed to calm down, a bad clearance of Atienza had allowed Bliard to give up the ball ahead of Templin, and Templin, very quickly, had solved the play starting in a doubtful position for his partner with another very opportune shot, made the second goal (...) three minutes later, two goals in ten minutes of play. But when the normal ball changed for the target and the spotlights were turned on, Madrid seemed to find its inspiration, previously lost in the gloom of the Parc des Princes. Di Stéfano, in the center of the field, masterfully passed the ball to Muñoz, who went by his right. This advanced deeply, drawing in Siatka and Jonquet, and only then did he pass the ball with prodigious sharpness to Di Stéfano, who, stopping it with a single touch, fired another dry, hard, shot to unquestionably beat Jacquet. With that goal, after fourteen minutes of play, Madrid began to function like an orchestra. The defenses were affirmed. Muñoz took possession of the center(...) The white offense, moved marvelously by Di Stéfano and Rial, showed that their rhythm, more relaxed, but not less incisive, was just as dangerous and more decisive than the "Reims". Marsal and Gento held the initiative for a long time, and a constant swaying stirred the spectators, seized with an emotion that grew by the minute. The French incursions were swift, brilliant; the Spanish, powerful, profound. At twenty-seven minutes, an advance by Rial and Di Stefano dismantled Jacquet, but Joseíto, who picked up the short-rejected shot, lost the best chance of establishing the equalizer. Two minutes later, Marsal was about to score, but Jacquet deflected the ball to a corner. Real Madrid commanded and, indeed, at half an hour of play, a corner, admirably taken by Joseito, gave Rial the opportunity to finish hard with his head killing the ball almost with style, to establish a tie welcomed with thunderous applause by the thousands of Spaniards who had lit the flare of their flags and their posters in the stands. By overcoming the initial misfortune and recovering the balance, overcoming the two adverse goals, Madrid had won the first battle of the final: it had shown Reims that there on the pitch of the Parc des Princes, there was no undisputed winner. And if there were, this was certainly not going to be the proud and aggressive "champenois" team. With the draw, the battle tempered its speed. The Gallic players had discovered that it was not possible to give up the center of the field to their adversary, and Leblond pressed his defence on Di Stéfano, while Siatka accentuated his vigilance on Rial. But Madrid had found its cadence and, making its supporters vibrate with enthusiasm, assaulted the "fortír remois" in broad waves that went through Joseíto's impetus at the irrepressible speed of Gento, with the spectacular wisdom of the central triplet. Kopa's flamboyant counterattacks, crowned dangerously by Giovacky, extraordinary, tonight, kept the result uncertain, when Gento slammed a shot into the post and Giovacky shook the crowd with a header that went over the crossbar. Reims did not want to give up the victory, which they had seen so closely, and their departure in their second half was spectacular. Jonquet and Zimmy, leaning on the central line of the field, kept the ball on the Spanish terrain, and the attacks were happening more and more distressing, because Madrid had its minutes of lapsitud. Di Stéfano, tireless, ready to defend and attack, and Jonqast, on the other side, grew to neutralize their actions, and thus the first quarter of an hour passed (...) Madrid resurfaced, still without full self-assurance, although with a clear longing for victory, when an incursion by Kopa, unmarked for the first time in this period, caused a foul on Giovacki (...) The free kick was taken with the disorganized passivity of the white players, Hidalgo, who after the ball, barely deflected it with his head, beating Alonso, who was badly positioned. The opportune French goal again tipped the victory on the "remois" side, but had the same effect on the morale of the Madrid player that a gadfly produces on the rump a thoroughbred foal. The whole team reared up and came out of their brief misfortune. Rial fired an impressive cannon on the turn, finishing off a deep pass from Muñoz; The game was again frenetic, and at twenty-four minutes, Marquitos, in the middle zone, passed to Di Stéfano, who galloped with irrepressible enthusiasm while someone on his side shouted "Back, back!" and, going to the opponent’s area, he imperiously claimed the ball. Di Stéfano passed it with sovereign precision; Marsal, right next to his partner, snatched the initiative from him and shot, forcing Jacquct to clear very short, and then Marquitos, faithful to his outburst, pointed, put the ball in the bottom of the net next to the post. An astonishing goal, purifying Spanish fury, forged by a defender who, almost in the manner of Belauste, reviving the ancient gesture of Antwerp had come out of nowhere. All the tactics, cold as all the silly predictions of the short-cut strategists, had fallen right there shattered by this goal of pure and devastating inspiration, marked by a central defense capable of abandoning his defensive position. Victory If Reims sunk and burned out by its strength, and, more fiery than ever, more lord of its technique and master of its physique, Madrid commanded the field and led the fierce but clean battle. Gento was again, like last year, the "Pegasus" who flies over the grass with the ball magnetized to his left foot; Atienza began personal attacks, pushing Joseíto on the goal, and Alonso grasped, now with confidence, the balls that, from time to time, reached his dominions in the nervous French reactions. It was already thirty-five minutes, when Rial, finishing a precious center from Gento missed by Siatka, beat Jacquet for the fourth time. The final ten minutes were agonizing for the winners and losers, because if Madrid were able to increase their triumph on two very dangerous occasions, especially one of Joseíto, Reims had the draw within their reach when Templin sent a centered long ball from distance to Kopa. It would have been unfair, however. At the sound of Mr. Ellis's whistle signaling the end, Real Madrid were champions and winner with all the merits. Even the last spectator recognized it this way by welcoming with a standing ovation the delivery of the beautiful European Cup to Muñoz, captain of the winning team. “The hour does not allow us to dwell on a detailed examination of the individual performances, which we will do more carefully upon our return to Madrid. Let's say that today Reims played the best game in their history in the last three years, which did not prevent them from being beaten. Jonquet, great; Siatka, very hard; Lebiond, deep and exact in the pass, and the entire forward had memorable performances, with no other faults than the weak quality of Jacquet, Snibaldi's bad heir. Madrid played a very complete match, if we forget the dangerous bewilderment of the initial ten minutes. Di Stéfano was the amazing man capable of all missions, and Rial once again showed himself the complete, intelligent, accomplished interior, there was still life at the front of four men, well supported by Marsal, and launched by the strength of Joseito in his great afternoon and Gento's marvelous gallops, he lost not a single move. Muñoz, immeasurable in the ordination of the judge, and Zárraga, assuring Kopa, contributed to a success that was reinforced by confirming the solidity of the defense, in which Marquitos stood out. Magnificent night of a team that is champion, not only because of the science of its great style, but because of the virtue of their spirit. An authentic spirit of a super champion” https://www.abc.es/archivo/periodicos/abc-madrid-19560614-55.html https://www.abc.es/archivo/periodicos/abc-madrid-19560614-56.html Summary: 1 goal To be continued.
Part 2 Mundo Deportivo “Di Stefano the worker” “It was interesting to see how Di Stefano the great international star who all the eyes from the spectators were focused on at the Parc des Princes, knew how to dispossess that condition of being the great “vedette” in order to being another pawn on the pitch of the great Real Madrid side.” “Di Stefano cooperated with all his strengths from the beginning, renouncing to all of his personal gain, with the maximum support with his defense, which in the beginning showed to be fragile, and playing more in the zone to help Muñoz in launching attacks towards the goal of Reims.” “Di Stefano, great professional, left behind any individualism, any international representation, he was just another player for Madrid and he worked to the fullest and collaborated step by step to this victory.” http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1956/06/14/pagina-3/636979/pdf.html Marca Madrid “Di Stefano, a phenom; Rial, Gento and Muñoz, the best players in a magnificent side” “In order of merit we must point out for Madrid Di Stefano, la “saeta” has had a phenomenal match tonight, as corresponds to his qualities of a phenom. He has been at the back, in front and in the middle. In all areas of the field.” [...] Albert Batteux (Reims manager): "The moment Madrid drew for the first time I saw the game lost." José Villalonga: “The best merit of Madrid is having overcome that two-zero; but with 3-2 I thought the Cup was slipping away: Marquitos' goal came at a crucial moment” Kopa: “To lose to Madrid is not a dishonor” Di Stefano: “We had the bad luck to go two goals behind in the first ten minutes; but at the same time we had the sufficient resistance to overcome. We never lost our nerves and hope, and we counterattacked until we drew at three apiece. At that moment we knew we would win and we made the last attempt to get victory” Jacquet Ruswich (L’Equipe): “Di Stefano has conducted the team to victory.” Gabriel Hanot (L’Equipe): “Di Stefano, the most complete player that we have ever seen.” Guy de Champagne (Le Parisienne): “Di Stefano and Rial dominated the match” Eskenazi (France Soir): [...] “The inexhaustible work of an exceptional Di Stefano, tilted the balance in favor of Madrid”[...] Navlle (L’Intranseant): “The Argentinian Di Stefano has delivered the European cup to Madrid (...) Di Stefano the most expensive footballer in the world was also the best. Whether it was his dribbles or his runs against the French defense, Di Stefano always occupied the center attention. Helped by Gento or by the indefatigable Rial or the right half Muñoz, Di Stefano directed for more than 20 minutes the most impressive ballet ever seen at the Parc des Princes” Jules Rimet (FIFA President): “Real Madrid has had a great star in the genius of Di Stefano, who has known how to sacrifice any personal gain in favor of the team.” To be continued.
El Gráfico using info from L’Equipe looked back at that European Cup final in 1977 with the headline: “A memorable date in the history of football” Coming up a recap of Di Stefano’s 1955-56 season which stamped his mark as the King of European fields.
A brief summary of Di Stefano’s third year at Real Madrid. La Liga campaign Real Madrid started slowly this season registering inconsistent results in the first 10 games or so, with a struggling Di Stefano, reaching the downside point to his game in round 10 vs Barcelona where the Spanish press hammered him as the worst on the pitch. Questions of his declining skill, his overweight and professionalism had been put into question for the first time since his arrival to Spain. Things would sharply change afterward with an improving Alfredo, who would start to recover his old form from round 11 putting a string of good performances together one after another with the climax arriving in round 18 vs Español, where he simply was “colossal”, as hailed by the Spanish press. That level of play between rounds 11-20 was of the highest order, where the blonde arrow also showcased a complete level of total football, anchoring the team on all fronts. Reports of him plucking holes to help out his defense, directing from midfield and reaching the opponents’ goal at will (round 29 vs Las Palmas) to end up finally as the top scorer of the season in the last round, was what brought press voices to the forefront as him being viewed as the greatest all-round footballer Europe had ever seen. But Real Madrid were unable to defend their crown this year and although Di Stefano had a fantastic run between rounds 11-30, the campaign had been lost in the first 10 rounds. With the league lost, Europe was the focus of attention with an imperious Alfredo, who would embark on a streak of championship runs that culminated in the spectacular final at Hampden Park in 1960. The European Cup Di Stefano had crowned himself the king of this newly created championship. He and his side had dispatched some of the best players and teams on the continent. The Partizan of Milutinovic, the AC Milan of Schiaffino-Nordahl-Liedholm and the Reims of Raymond Kopa. In 7 matches Di Stefano scored 5 goals and had outshined pretty much all of his competition. And while it was forecasted that Real Madrid were favored to win this competition, true to fashion, Alfredo and his supporting cast had slayed all of his adversaries that stood in their way in spectacular style. At 29-30 years old he was already the king of European fields and considered by many as one of the greatest ever (ranked 7 in World Sport) and the most complete footballer the world had ever seen (Gabriel Hanot). 1956 L’Equipe — Gabriel Hanot (París, France) 1956 World Sport London (England) https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/1956-world-sport-greatest-footballers-of-all-time.2105824/
Coming up I’ll in retrospect briefly analyze how some other legendary pre-millennium players were viewed at the ages of 29-30. I’ll focus on the top political choices or players where reviews are more accesible.
The world’s greatest icons at 29-30 years old and their legacies (I’ll do this in various parts). José Manuel Moreno, the legendary Argentinian, by 1946 had a legacy sealed at home and abroad in Mexico where he inspired the side of España to the league championship earning the nickname “El Charro”. A champion in every team and mostly every field, a complete attacking player, physically blessed as strong and athletic, with an unwavering will and rough temperament, a master in the aerial game, and an authentic leader. He was classified by the Argentinian press as Argentina’s greatest player ever until the arrival of Maradona, and to many old-timers the best ever, only challenged by Alfredo Di Stefano and Pelé (although for pre-war Brazilians perhaps Arthur Friedenrich has never been surpassed). As pointed out by the Mexican correspondent for the newspaper of ‘El Informador’ Felipe Zetter in 1985, the only player comparable to Pelé was Moreno. “This player that showcased his enormous qualities all over the field of America, is the only player I can compare with the greatest of all time, Pelé, because what we saw Pelé do, I saw Moreno do. The difference apart from the satellite exposure and that Pelé played various World Championships and Moreno none, is that Pelé was an extraordinary sportsman while Moreno liked to show off his love for the nightlife as he presumed that he would escape from the training grounds when his side had upcoming important matches to play.” It was such the magnitude of Moreno’s impression over this reporter, that Maradona who was viewed as one of the best players in the world at the time, was reduced to not even being able to reach his ankles. For Argentina’s El Gráfico, by 1964 Moreno was the benchmark to be measured for greatness and was compared to the game’s current best player, Pelé. 1960’s Argentina’s number 1 ever: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/t...layer-of-all-time-1993.2086594/#post-37073138 1964 Moreno vs Pelé (El Gráfico) https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/t...layer-of-all-time-1993.2086594/#post-37073203 1979-80 El Gráfico (Argentina’s best ever player) https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/t...layer-of-all-time-1993.2086594/#post-37078815 1979 El Informador (Mexico) Puskas Ferenc Puskas in 1956 was already an all time great prior to arriving in Spain as part of the legendary sides of Honved and the Hungarian NT. At the height of his fame as Hungary’s best talent, World Sport from London voted him number 6 as the greatest player of all-time (although for pre-war Hungarians perhaps Georgi Orth has never been surpassed and is ranked number 2 by World Sport). Owner of one of the most lethal shots with a glove on his left boot, Puskas was on his way to joining Di Stefano after the uprising had occurred in Hungary in 1956. To be continued.
Around 1975 Don Balón interviewed Alfredo about many things but what caught the eye was the best players he ever saw. He formed an ideal team with no Yashine, Beckenbauer, Pelé, Cruijff or many of the political known choices.
In the sixth goal could be other assist, but I'm not sure how to interpret the text, it use the phrase "medido por Di Stéfano" this could translate "measured by Di Stéfano"? So this could mean Di Stéfano made the pass?
The 11 he gave to Football Magazine (France Football monthly) in 1961 : Cozzi - C.Sosa, W.Wright, Nilton S. - Bozsik, N.Rossi - Moreno, Puskas - Kopa, Erico, Loustau. Mentions (RW) : Munoz, Julinho. + from memories he said that Gento still needed to improve in terms of vision. That's the only position at which he made a change, 15 years later, for Don Balon. At LW.
In this one, there is no precise description, but this sentence "for him came the goals that defeated the boys" If he scored one goal, this means he was at least directly involved in another goal. (? This phrase also tells that he was very involved in the attack "Di Stefano invented a game that Madrid did not have, he procured balls, he put them at the feet of his teammates." Also he was involved in the play of the last goal With this I think that is very very probably that he made at least one assist in this game
Yes, mostly all of those plays were vague descriptions or combination plays that didn’t exactly provide a direct mentioning of him with the final pass to the scorer and that’s why I preferred to not credit him with a direct assist. He may well have had more assists but I just confirmed the ones that were clearly verifiable in the text. But thanks for checking and providing clarity on these points. If you find any errors or additional info please point them out.
Interesting take. So the consistency remained intact with what he saw. He did however have another squad which he chose in 1982 that was considered the ideal team that differed quite a bit with what he deemed the best he saw. https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/t...of-all-time-1993.2086594/page-2#post-37094304 I wonder if he was conforming with the traditional tide at that point or if the magazine altered his views .... There was no Arsenio Erico which seemed an odd thing.
I'm not sure about the whole thing but this last part of the interview looks like a "fabricated dialog". Like a copy-paste of some articles from the past with slight modifications (Gento, Garrincha... as for Partizan I wonder if he did not already cited them in '61). Perhaps FF aldready did the same in '61. It was very common up to the 60's to sale things as if it was an itw but is just a compilation of other itw's (very written, very re-written). Here, in Don Balon, it's 1975 so it can be a bit surprising but it sure looks like it for me. The one from 1982 looks/ sounds more like a real itw. Or they really saw him but just like 5 to 15 mins. and fabricated it as if it was a 30 mins. to 1 hour itw.
Not that it explains everything but he did migrate from a WM to 4-2-4 system too. Maybe he felt some players were more suitable to the latter (including Pini in defence who he'd not included before). Maybe he wouldn't have considered Pele a centre forward (or Cruyff as WM centre forward), although both have leaped over Puskas (who I suppose he could have had some 'team-mate bias' towards previously though, to put the other side of things), so he went with a true WM era centre forward in Erico in the original teams (in 1961 of course Pele was still young, and Cruyff hadn't started but it's true by 1975 that had changed and Pele at least had completed most of his career too and certainly gone past his peak years ago). Bozsik makes way after the formation change too I suppose (though the midfield pairing of a CDM and a CAM presumably is made up of two players he also had in the WM anyway).
Although... well, after, reading it entirely... no, not really (it's even more striking actually, how it is "very written"). Perhaps this one was copied/pasted from an itw from '78... who knows?
@Vegan10 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stéfano-Ian-Hawkey/dp/0091958563 I read this book on Di Stefano by Ian Hawkey. In reference to his playing style, the author states how his startling speed stood out as a young player and he was a brilliant dribbler and some of the goals he scored after going past multiple opponents are mentioned. Hawkey outlines how newspaper reports hinted at Di Stefanos out of the ordinary work rate/retrieving of the ball whilst he was on loan to Huracan in 1947.