Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano, regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, has died. The eighty eight-year-old suffered a heart attack on Saturday and had been in an induced coma in Madrid's Gregorio Maranon hospital. Real Madrid confirmed the news, saying Di Stefano, their honorary president, died on Monday. Sir Bobby Charlton, who played against him for The Scum, paid tribute. 'I think Alfredo Di Stefano was one of the best players I ever came across and an extremely intelligent footballer,' said the former England legend. 'He was somebody I really respected, having watched him from the stands at the Bernabeu and then played against him. I have many fond memories of my time with Alfredo and feel privileged to be able to call him a good friend. The footballing world has lost a great player and a great man.' After joining Real in 1953, Alfredo helped to turn them into one of the world's leading sides. They won five straight European Cups, with Di Stefano scoring in each final between 1956 and 1960. The Argentina-born forward also won eight Spanish league titles and was voted European player of the year in 1957 and 1959. He left Real in 1964 at the age of thirty eight having scored more than three hundred goals across eleven seasons. 
Di Stefano played at international level for three nations though he never appeared at a World Cup finals tournament. He won six caps for Argentina and played four times for Colombia during a spell when he played in the country's league. However his Colombia caps are not officially recognised by FIFA. Once he joined Real in 1953, FIFA said that he could not play for Spain, but reversed that decision in 1957 after he was awarded Spanish citizenship and he went on to win thirty one caps, scoring twenty three goals. Real's official website carried a picture of club president Florentino Perez visiting Di Stefano at the hospital on Saturday. Former Real striker Gonzalo Higuain, whose goal sent Argentina into the World Cup semi-finals in Brazil on Saturday, said: 'I was told when I got to the dressing room. It is not good news for football, for those who know him, for those who are close to him. Alfredo was always very close to me. I only have words of gratitude towards him.' Di Stefano also won four Colombian and two Argentine league titles as a player. As a manager he led Boca Juniors and River Plate to Argentine league titles and won La Liga and the Copa del Rey with Valencia. He also had spells at Sporting Lisbon, Rayo Vallecano and Castellon before taking over at Real in 1982, with the club runners-up in five competitions during his two years in charge. He managed the club again for five months from 1990, winning the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona. Di Stefano became honorary Real president in 2000.
Juan Zuniga has grovellingly apologised to Neymar after the Brazil striker was ruled out of the World Cup following the Colombia defender kneeing him in the back, really hard. Neymar broke a vertebra in his spine during his side's 2-1 quarter-final victory over Colombia on Friday.
Zuniga insists that he did not mean to hurt Neymar in the incident - presumably, it was a 'friendly' knee in the spine - which FIFA's disciplinary committee is currently studying. 'I deeply regret the sad injury that Neymar suffered during the match between Brazil and Colombia,' he claimed. 'Although I feel that these situations are a normal part of the game, there was no intent to injure, malice nor negligence on my part. I want to reach out to Neymar, who I admire, respect and consider one of the best players in the world. I hope you recover quickly and return to the game soon, so we can all support a sport full of the virtues and qualities that I've tried to follow in my twelve years as a professional player.'
Di Stefano played at international level for three nations though he never appeared at a World Cup finals tournament. He won six caps for Argentina and played four times for Colombia during a spell when he played in the country's league. However his Colombia caps are not officially recognised by FIFA. Once he joined Real in 1953, FIFA said that he could not play for Spain, but reversed that decision in 1957 after he was awarded Spanish citizenship and he went on to win thirty one caps, scoring twenty three goals. Real's official website carried a picture of club president Florentino Perez visiting Di Stefano at the hospital on Saturday. Former Real striker Gonzalo Higuain, whose goal sent Argentina into the World Cup semi-finals in Brazil on Saturday, said: 'I was told when I got to the dressing room. It is not good news for football, for those who know him, for those who are close to him. Alfredo was always very close to me. I only have words of gratitude towards him.' Di Stefano also won four Colombian and two Argentine league titles as a player. As a manager he led Boca Juniors and River Plate to Argentine league titles and won La Liga and the Copa del Rey with Valencia. He also had spells at Sporting Lisbon, Rayo Vallecano and Castellon before taking over at Real in 1982, with the club runners-up in five competitions during his two years in charge. He managed the club again for five months from 1990, winning the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona. Di Stefano became honorary Real president in 2000. Juan Zuniga has grovellingly apologised to Neymar after the Brazil striker was ruled out of the World Cup following the Colombia defender kneeing him in the back, really hard. Neymar broke a vertebra in his spine during his side's 2-1 quarter-final victory over Colombia on Friday.
Zuniga insists that he did not mean to hurt Neymar in the incident - presumably, it was a 'friendly' knee in the spine - which FIFA's disciplinary committee is currently studying. 'I deeply regret the sad injury that Neymar suffered during the match between Brazil and Colombia,' he claimed. 'Although I feel that these situations are a normal part of the game, there was no intent to injure, malice nor negligence on my part. I want to reach out to Neymar, who I admire, respect and consider one of the best players in the world. I hope you recover quickly and return to the game soon, so we can all support a sport full of the virtues and qualities that I've tried to follow in my twelve years as a professional player.' 
