Former Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano is in an induced coma in a Madrid hospital after suffering a heart attack on Saturday afternoon.

The 88-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, was taken to the Gregorio Maranon hospital in the capital after suffering a heart attack which leaving a restaurant.

Di Stefano, who was made Honorary President of Real Madrid in 2000, had been in declining heath for quite some while and his public appearances had become increasingly rare. He suffered a heart attack on Christmas Eve 2005 when he was 79 years old and was fitted with a pacemaker.

The Argentinean is considered one of the greatest players in history of football and has been compared with greats such as Pele, Eusebio and Diego Maradona.

He began in career in Argentina with River Plate before joining Colombian side, Millonarios, who he left to join Real Madrid in a controversial transfer deal in 1953.

It was with the Spanish club that he became a legend, leading the club to the conquest of five consecutive European Cups between 1956 and 1960 while scoring in all of the finals, including a historic 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960.

During that period, Di Stefano was named as Balon D'Or for the best European based footballer in 1957 and 1959.

Meanwhile Di Stefano played international football for both Argentina and Spain and also represented Colombia and after retiring as a player went into management, leading several Spanish clubs, including Real Madrid on two occasions.

At the height of his fame, Di Stefano even made several feature films and was the protagonist of a bizarre kidnap during a club visit to Venezuela in 1963, when a revolutionary group, the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), took him at gunpoint from the club hotel and held him captive for three days to gain publicity for their cause.

Tributes have flooded in for Di Stefano from all over the world of football with Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez saying; "Di Stefano is Real Madrid and his legend will live forever."

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)