MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid's iconic striker Alfredo di Stefano is set to be honoured by the club on Sunday with a large statue of himself being unveiled in front of the entrance to the team's training ground.

The 81-year-old Argentinian-born forward - the club's honorary president - will watch the unveiling alongside FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini.

Platini will later present a 'UEFA President's' prize to di Stefano and open an exhibition dedicated to him at the club's main ground, the Santiago Bernabeu.

Di Stefano, nicknamed the 'blond dart', played for 'the meringues' from 1953-63 after beginning his career with Argentinian outfit River Plate.

Di Stefano, who became a Spanish national in 1956, was capped 31 times by his adopted country and scored 49 goals in the European Cup for Real, a spell that saw them win European club football's most prestigious trophy five times.

He was twice named European Footballer of the Year in 1957 and 1959, won the Spanish title eight times and was five times top scorer in the domestic league.