The death of Alfredo Di Stéfano at the age of 88 after a heart attack means not just the loss of one of the all-time greats of soccer, but one whose career reads like a history of the 20th century game, from the artistry of midcentury Argentina to today’s cash-saturated enterprise as represented by the current Champions League winners, Real Madrid.

Known as “La Saeta Rubia” – the Blond Arrow – he is cited by many as the most complete all-round footballer ever. Initially and primarily a gifted center-forward, he was also a supreme on-field organizer and boasted that he had played in every position, including goalkeeper.

Born in the working class Barracas neighborhood of Buenos Aires in 1926, shortly before the game in Argentina turned openly professional, he began his career at the age of 17 with River Plate, home of the legendary early 1940s line-up known as “La Máquina” (the Machine), although his initial impact was modest (he was loaned out to Huracán).

Already an Argentina international, in 1949 he was wooed away to Millonarios of Bogotá during a players’ strike by his idol and predecessor at River, Adolfo Pedernera. The two formed a lethal attacking combination at Millonarios. Colombia was at that time operating outside FIFA control and so attracted a host of top names without the inconvenience of paying transfer fees.

Within a few years the bubble of “El Dorado”, as Colombia’s footballing golden age was known, had burst and Di Stéfano was on his way to Europe. An extraordinary agreement was brokered for the sought-after South American to spend two seasons with Barcelona and two with Real Madrid, but the deal fell apart amid much acrimony and it was the Spanish capital that became his home.

Di Stéfano was at the heart of an unprecedented and unrepeated period of success for Real Madrid. In that first 1953-54 season he led Madrid to their first title in 21 years, scoring 27 goals. The club went on to win the first five editions of the European Cup (now known as the Champions League). Di Stéfano and Francisco Gento were the only two players to play in all five triumphs. The 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1960 final at Hampden Park is often cited as Di Stéfano’s Real Madrid at its peak.

Amazingly, Di Stéfano never played at a World Cup. Argentina refused to attend the 1950 edition, a stance it continued in 1954, although Di Stéfano by that time had switched his allegiance to the unrecognized Colombia. Having acquired Spanish citizenship after his move to Spain he appeared for his new country in qualification for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden but the Spanish lost out to Scotland.

After retiring from playing he moved into coaching, winning titles with River Plate, Boca Juniors and Valencia, and less successfully with Real Madrid. He was named honorary president of Real Madrid in 2000 and the club’s training ground is named after him.

While treasuring the memories of football in the Buenos Aires of his youth, Di Stéfano remained immersed in the modern game, particularly through his association with Real Madrid. He was often sought out for his views on players and the modern game but a few years back told one interviewer that “people nowadays are obsessed with golden awards, about who is the best … when we know in reality the one with more money wins."

Much of the talk before Brazil 2014 was about whether Argentina's Lionel Messi needed, like Diego Maradona, to star at a World Cup to be considered one of the greats. The life and career of Alfredo Di Stéfano shows that true greatness does not concern itself with such details.