Deemed as one of the greatest and most influential football player at all times, Alfredo Di Stefano dies at the age of 88 on Saturday. The Real Madrid legend suffered from a heart attack and was in induced coma in Madrid's Gregorio Maranon hospital.

Di Stefano, a forward during his time, won five straight European Cups, scoring in each final. Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told BBC Radio 5 live Di Stefano was "without question in that group of great, great players". His memory of Di Stefano was very vivid and also said that the legend had a remarkable poise and balance when he watched his game at Hampden Park in the 1960 European Cup final.

"I had the pleasure as a young man of being influenced by the great Real Madrid and Di Stefano. His head was up all the time. He was such a fantastic footballer. For Real Madrid, it is a terrible loss because his presence was always there." he added.

Bobby Charlton, the director of Manchester United said that Di Stefano was surely the best player he ever saw and that the world of football lost a great player and a great man. For the Uefa president Michel Platini, it was Di Stefano who had helped revolutionize football. He won the hearts of many and burned it with so much passion and bedazzled them with his brilliance and skill.

Together with his gifted teammates, they reinvented football and pushed it to its modernity. Truly, Alfredo De Stefano is a legend.