I was originally going to put this in the History thread, but the man was so influential in many ways that he really deserves his own thread, especially as he doesn't even register on the radars of many younger fans today.

I'm not a big fan of comparing the top players from different eras as you can't really get a definitive answer as to who the greatest actually was. Here in Ireland, many will instinctively answer George Best, and will then go on to say that he was the greatest player never to have played in the World Cup.

I've never agreed with that, and I personally would put Di Stefano down as far more influential in the grander scheme of things than Bestie ever was. This piece from the BBC's Tim Vickery makes interesting reading:

Di Stefano - The Greatest?

Bobby Charlton's comments seem to sum up what made Di Stefano such an influential player. He also said that the Argentinian was 'the brainiest player that I ever saw.' It's been said that Pele was the better instinctive player, whereas Di Stefano took to the pitch with most of the game plan already thought out in his head.

Also, as the article highlights, Di Stefano had a massive influence off the pitch both on the fledgling European Cup and ultimately the Copa Libertadores.

If I was pushed, then I would probably cast my vote for Di Stefano, especially as his influence had relatively little to do with TV exposure. If more of his games had been recorded for television, then his legend would be even greater.

I've often thought that Di Stefano's personality weighed against him. Pele, Maradona and Best were very much men of the people, whereas the 'Blond Arrow' comes across as somewhat more aloof and distant, not suffering fools gladly. That would count against you in a popularity contest.

What do others think? And how is he viewed in Argentina today?

Wikipedia article

Interesting to note Maradona's comments regarding Pele and Di Stefano. The problem with a lot of Maradona's statements is that you're never sure whether he actually means what he says, or whether he's simply stirring things up. :unsure:

It's also worth checking out the 'Blond Arrow' homepage. It hasn't been updated since 1998 - a lifetime in Internet terms - but it contains details of his life and career.

The Blond Arrow

I won't try and rate who the best player ever was, it is simply too difficult to compare players from different eras. Di Stefano was before my time but older relatives always used to speak in reverential tones about him to me. I have seen highlights of DiStefano and as the quote from Charlton points out, Di Stefano was an all field player, he could take the ball frm the back, set up teammates for goals or score himself. In that regard I think only Cruyff of more modern players can compare to him.

historyman asks how DiStefano is viewed in Argentina, as one of the greats. Not as good as Maradona but along with a player who just preceeded him at River Plate, Jose Moreno, he is considered Argentina's 2nd best player of all time behind Diego.

By the way I didn't know about how Real Madrid's success in the European Cup, led by DiStefano, helped propoel the creation of the Copa Libertadores. An interesting tidbit of information.

Like enganche I too won't try and rate who is the greatest player ever for the reason he cited but also I think it is like trying to say who is the world's most beautiful woman, the very best all have their own admirable qualities and it is the reviewers own subjectivity which determines your view. PLus when you are that good, who cares who is 1, 2 or 3?

Like enganche's older relatives, mine too always used to praise DiStefano for his play and after seeing videos of him playing you knew why. It was a different style of play in his era but watching DiStefano play you could tell he was a man ahead of his time. Even now it is rare to see a player picking the ball up in the back one moment and inside the opponent's penalty area the next. But as the article historyman linked points out, DiStefano as the undisputed star of Real Madrid's all conquering team in the late 50's, early 60's helped spread the popularity of the sport around the globe and led to the establishment of so many of the popular club competitions that we enjoy now. Apart from his onfield accomplishments that makes him one of the game's true giants.

most people who were a live in that era rate Moreno and Perdernera ahead of Di Stefano. Di Stefano himself said they were better than he was.

Uruguay's centerback Varela said after the 1950 world cup that he wasn't afraid when facing brazil: "you have to remember, i have played against perdernera and like him there is no one."

Unquestionably Moreno, Pedernera and Labruna were great players but they also played in an era when futbol was pretty isolated and due to World War II they never really had a chance to play against players from the rest of the world although they did win WW II era Copa Americas with Argentina and of course played on that great La Maquina team at River Plate.

They were all before my era but I will say that I had uncles tell me about these players and they loved them all but still said DiStefano was the most complete player they ever saw. Yet Martin's comment above I think says it all,

Like enganche I too won't try and rate who is the greatest player ever for the reason he cited but also I think it is like trying to say who is the world's most beautiful woman, the very best all have their own admirable qualities and it is the reviewers own subjectivity which determines your view. PLus when you are that good, who cares who is 1, 2 or 3? :D