Top 10 Ballon d'Or winners of all time

#3 Alfredo Di Stefano (1957)

Di Stefano was an integral part of Real Madrid in the '60s

The greatness of Di Stéfano was that, with him in your side, you had two players in every position.” — Miguel Munoz(his manager at Real Madrid)

The dynamic Argentine has to be the sole reason why Real Madrid established their base as the greatest football club in the world. Alfredo Di Stefano won the Ballon d'Or twice in his entire career.

Di Stefano is particularly known for being a part of the devastating trio consisting of himself, Gento and Puskas. The three legends led Real Madrid to an era of unprecedented success in Francisco Franco's reign.

The shining beacon that spearheaded Real Madrid to five back-to-back European Cups, Di Stefano was perhaps the most crucial player the Spanish giants have ever had in their unparalleled history.

Di Stefano became the second player in history to win a Ballon d'Or in 1957 after finishing runner-up behind Stanley Matthews in the previous year. He beat Billy Wright, Duncan Edwards and fellow teammate Raymond Kopa to claim the title with 72 points.

The 1956-57 season was the chief reason why he won the prestigious award. Nicknamed as 'Blond Arrow', Di Stefano was at the height of his powers in that season, playing 43 times and averaging a goal a game for the Los Merengues. The Pichichi trophy and the European Cup top scorer trophy highlighted his personal glory and placed him on the pedestal as one of the greatest players to grace the beautiful game.

The only regret with Di Stefano is the fact that he never appeared in the World Cup. Had he done that, Pele would certainly have locked horns with an equal.