Ángel Di María

At 36 years old, Ángel Di María has this physical status:

Ángel Fabián Di María (born 14 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus and the Argentina national team. He can play as either a winger or attacking midfielder. He is widely considered as one of the best wingers in the world.

Di María began his career with Rosario Central, but came into prominence at Benfica after signing for the club in 2007, aged 19. He helped Benfica win the Primeira Liga, the club's first league title in five years, and two Taça da Liga titles. In 2010, Di María moved to Spanish club Real Madrid in a transfer worth €25 million, where he won a La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League. He subsequently signed for Manchester United in 2014 in a then-British record deal worth £59.7 million (€75.6 million), but left a year later to join Paris Saint-Germain. In France, Di María won five league titles, five Coupe de France and four Coupe de la Ligue, which includes three domestic quadruples, and helped the club reach its first Champions League Final. He is also the club's ninth-highest goalscorer and all-time leader in assists.

Di María made his senior international debut for Argentina in 2008 at age 20, and has since earned over 120 caps, including appearances in eight major tournaments. He scored the goal that won the country gold at the 2008 Olympics, and featured in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the 2015 Copa América and the Copa América Centenario; Di María helped Argentina win the 2021 Copa América, scoring the only goal in the final.

Early life

Di María was born on 14 February 1988 in Rosario, Santa Fe, as one of three children of Miguel di Maria and Diana Hernandez, and grew up in Perdriel. As an infant, he was unusually active, and on recommendation of a doctor was signed up for football at age three. He also helped his parents with their work at a local coal yard along with his two sisters, Vanesa and Evelyn. Due to the low income his family earned, purchasing football boots and keeping up with Di María's hobby was difficult for his parents. He considers himself to be a "family man" and has used a significant amount of his salary to "give back" to his family. After being transferred to Benfica, he asked his father not to work anymore and purchased a house for his parents and sisters.

Personal life

Di María is nicknamed "Fideo", which means "noodle" in Spanish, due to his slender frame. Being of Italian descent, he holds Italian nationality. He is Roman Catholic.

He married fellow Argentine Jorgelina (née Cardoso) in 2011. Together they have a daughter, Pia, who was born three months premature and survived after treatment at an intensive care unit at the Hospital Universitario Montepríncipe in Madrid.

Di María's home in Prestbury, Cheshire, was the scene of an attempted burglary on 31 January 2015.

On 2 September 2020, it was reported that Di María, along with PSG teammates Neymar and Leandro Paredes, had tested positive for COVID-19. The French sports newspaper L'Équipe said that the three players reportedly went on vacation in Ibiza. As a result, they had to quarantine for one week, and the rest of the players and working staff were scheduled to take a coronavirus test within the same week.

During a match between PSG and Nantes on 14 March 2021, Di María's home was robbed and his family was held hostage. He had been substituted off the pitch by manager Mauricio Pochettino, who informed Di María of the situation. PSG teammate Marquinhos' parents' home was also burgled in a similar way.

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Club career

Di Mara, a four-year-old girl from Rosario Central, joined Rosario Central. In exchange, 35 footballs were given as he had already committed to playing for his hometown team, Torito.

Di Marra made his professional debut in Rosario's final fixture of the Apertura, a 2–2 draw away from Independence, by making a 2–2 draw from Independence. He scored at home against Quilmes on November 24, 2006, a minute after replacing Leonardo Borzani at halftime. Boca Juniors made a bid for him after competing at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. He was also approached by Arsenal, a move that was ultimately unsuccessful due to the United Kingdom's tighter restrictions on granting work permits to players from outside the European Union.

In July 2007, Di Mara was sent to Benfica, Portugal, where he played as a winger. Simo, Benfica's former captain, was sent as a replacement, and Simo, who joined Atlético Madrid earlier this summer, was recalled. Andrés D'az's bill was €6 million for 80% of his sporting rights and half of the sports right of Belvida. The Portuguese club paid an additional €2 million for the remaining 20% in August 2008, but GestiFute refunded 10% to GestiFute.

In October 2009, Di Marra signed a new Benfica contract, bringing three more years to his existing contract, which was expected to run until June 30, 2015, with his release price set at a minimum of €40 million. Diego Maradona sponsored him later this month to become Argentina's next superstar."

In a dramatic 4–0 win over Leix's on February 27, 2010, Di Mara scored his first hat-trick. In all sports journals in Portugal, he made the headlines the next day as "Magic Tri Mara."

Real Madrid announced on their website on June 28th that they had come to terms with Benfica for the transfer of Di Mara. He has signed a five-year deal with over €25 million and more in incentives as announced one day later by the Portuguese Stock Exchange's enforcement body. Di Mara arrived from Buenos Aires right away on July 7th and passed the medical exam on July 8th.

He made his debut on August 4, 2010 in a friendly match against Mexican side América, which Real Madrid beat 3–2. Di Mara scored his first goal in another friendly against Hércules on August 22nd, which Real Madrid beat 1–3. The Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu's last match of the pre-season began on August 24th after an individual play referred to as a "magic moment."

In a 0–0 draw against Mallorca on August 29, his league debut came on the 29th of August. Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 1–2 away on September 18, Di Marra scored his first league goal against them on September 18th. He scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League against Auxerre in a 0–1 win ten days later. On December 19, he scored a controversial first goal against Sevilla. In an amazing 8–0 loss of Levante on December 22, Di Mara assisted Karim Benzema's two goals and Cristiano Ronaldo's goal. He scored the third and final goal in a 3–0 victory over Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Lyon for the first time in seven years.

Real Madrid defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on April 5, 2011 with Di Mara scoring their third goal. He was dismissed in the 31st minute of extra time in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on April 20. Real Madrid won the match 1–0, the match's lone goal of the game (in the 13th minute of extra time) being a header from Cristiano Ronaldo, who emerged from his cross, thus earning his first match with Real Madrid.

Di Mara had a rough start to the 2011-12 season as he tried to adapt to the league's pace following the summer break. Di Mara's start to the season was mixed, with scenes of genuinely good play interspersed with moments of pure madness by the Argentine. This point was clearly illustrated in Real Madrid's 1–0 loss to Levante, a match in which Di Mara's clearly out-of-sorts Di Mara committed a horrific foul on Levante's Juanfran during the match. Both teams were disaffected by Di Mara's presence, and an on-field brawl ensued. However, Di Mara's results will continue to grow, with opening up a big gap at the top of the assists table. Di Mara was being selected by Madrid head coach José Mourinho in October 2011, ahead of Kaká and Mesut zzil, a sign of his improving form.

Di Mara spent 60 minutes in a league match against Atlético Madrid, in which he scored a goal for Real Madrid on November 27, 2011. Mourinho's team won the game 4–1. In a 3–0 loss to Sporting de Gijón in La Liga on December 3, 2011, Di Mara scored Real's first goal from a wide angle. Real Madrid lifted their 32nd league title, defeating Athletic Bilbao 3–0, clinching the league championship. He was a constant threat and presence in the starting lineup.

In the first leg of the 2012 Supercopa de Espaa at Camp Nou, Di Mara scored his first goal of the season against Barcelona.

Although Di Mara did not have the best season of season, he did play a role in significant games, most notably against Cristiano Ronaldo's goal against Manchester United on February 13th, and he scored nine goals in 52 games, including against Atlético Madrid and Málaga. Di Mara signed a new deal with Real Madrid on August 9, 2012, keeping him at the club until 2018.

In Real Madrid's 4–0 Champions League victory over them on October 2, 2013, Di Mara scored two goals against Copenhagen. Di Mara's playing position was permanently changed to that of an offensive-minded central midfielder throughout the club's 4–3–3 formation later this season, and the club's new manager, Carlo Ancelotti, was always deployed in the starting lineup alongside Luka Modri and Xabi Alonso in midfield. With the first goal, he contributed to the club's 1–2 victory over Barcelona in the 2014 Copa del Rey Final. Di Mara was the season's top assist maker, earning 17.

Di Mara dribbled past two players before achieving a goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final against Atlético Madrid on May 24. Gareth Bale of Di Mara was there to lead Real Madrid to a 2–1 win over Atlético in the 110th minute, giving the team a 2–1 advantage over Atlético. After the match, Di Mara was named man of the match by UEFA, and former Manchester United head coach Sir Alex Ferguson was honoured.

Real Madrid defeated Sevilla on August 12th with Di Mara as an unused substitute. He appeared in the final 15 minutes of a 1-1 home draw against Atlético Madrid a week later.

Di Mara signed a five-year contract with Manchester United in August 2014, one of the most costly transfers of all time and the highest fee ever paid by a British club at the time. He inherited the number 7 shirt at United, which was previously worn by club legends such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he said in an open letter to Real Madrid supporters that he had never intended to leave Real Madrid but that its board had been unsupportive and unfair: "Someone may not like me."

Di Mara made his debut against Burnley on August 30 in which he was pulled for Anderson after 70 minutes. In a 4–0 victory over Queens Park Rangers, he scored his first goal for United on September 14th, netting straight from a free-kick. He was also responsible for Juan Mata's victory in the Man of the Match campaign, winning the Man of the Match award. Sky Sports' Player Cam feature brought him right back to the game. Although United lost the match 5-3, he scored a goal and provided another assist in the next game against Leicester City on September 21.

Di Mara won Manchester United's Player of the Month award for September after scoring two goals and two assists in his first four matches for the club on October 2nd. He claimed his second individual award at United after his win over Leicester, where he chipped goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, was named Team Goal of the Month for September. On October 5th, Di Mara resumed his fine form by scoring a goal and assisting Radamel Falcao in their 2–1 victory over Everton. Di Mara was forced to miss the team's 3–0 win over Hull City on 29 November due to a hamstring injury 13 minutes into the match, and she had only one replacement in the team's next seven matches.

Di Mara returned from injury to score a late penalty in a 0–2 victory over Yeovil Town in the third round of the FA Cup on Monday. In a 0–1 home loss to Southampton a week later, he was used as a forward by boss Louis van Gaal. This new role came during Di Mara's poor run of form, and he was expected to have failed since October. On March 9, Di Mara was dismissed after United lost 1–2 at home against Arsenal in the FA Cup sixth round, being fined for diving and for grabbing the shirt of referee Michael Oliver. But Wayne Rooney had already set up the equalizer.

The Daily Telegraph ranked Di Mara as the worst signing of the season at the end of the season.

Di Mara's flight to the United States didn't board a flight to Manchester United's pre-season tour on July 25th; new manager Louis van Gaal said he "did not know why." It was announced on August 2nd that Di Mara would have undergone a medical before transferring to Paris Saint-Germain; four days later, Manchester United reported that he had been sold to the French champions for an undisclosed fee worth around £44 million, a four-year deal.

Di Mara made his Ligue 1 debut on August 30th as a 66th-minute replacement for Lucas, and Ezequiel Lavezzi was assisting in the final goal of a 0-3 victory at the Stade Louis II. Di Mara scored his first goal for PSG on his UEFA Champions League debut for the club, beating Malmö FF 2–0 at the Parc des Princes on September 15th. PSG beat Guingamp 3–0, seven days later, he scored his first goal in Ligue 1. In the 2016 Coupe de la Ligue Final against Lille at the Stade de France, Di Mara scored the winning goal for PSG against Lille on April 23, 2016. Di Mara finished 2016–16, setting a new Ligue 1 record for assists in a season with 18.

In a 3–0 victory over PSG in the 2016-17 Champions League group stage home match against Basel on October 19, Di Mara scored the first goal in the 40th minute, his first goal of the season. In a 2–0 home victory over Nantes on November 19, he started scoring his first Ligue 1 goal of the season.

PSG beat Barcelona 4–0 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 at the Parc des Princes on February 14, 2017, Di Mara scored a brace. In PSG's 4–1 victory over Monaco in the 2017 Coupe de la Ligue Final on Monday, he scored on April 1st. He clinch the 2017-18 Coupe de France on May 8th, 2018 after PSG defeated Les Herbiers 2–0.

Di Mara sustained a serious injury during his team's Champions league round of 16 games against his former club Manchester United in the 2018-19 season; however, he refused to be recalled, and during the game, he assisted Kylian Mbappé's attack at Old Trafford. PSG then lost 3-1 in the second leg and were eliminated in the round of 16 for the third straight season.

In a 3–0 win over Real Madrid in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League group stage, Di Mara scored a brace against his old club Real Madrid. Di Mara scored a goal and two assists in PSG's 3–0 Champions League semi-final victory over RB Leipzig on August 18, but the club progressed to face Bayern Munich 1–0; the club lost the match 1–0.

Di Mara received a four-match suspension on September 23, 2020, for a spitting incident with lvaro González ten days earlier in Le Classique. He will miss the league matches against Angers, Nîmes, Dijon, and Nantes. Di Mara scored the first goal in a UEFA Champions League match against RB Leipzig on October 4th, a UEFA Champions League match against RB Leipzig. He made his return to league action against Rennes three days later and scored a goal to help PSG beat Rennes 3-1.

Di Mara scored two assists in a home match against stanbul Başakşehir on December 9, 2020, becoming the player with the third most assists in UEFA Champions League history, only behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Di Marzo's 2021-born French entrepreneur signed Paris Saint-Germain for one season, with the option of a second. Di Mara was suspended in the Champions League's semi-finals for stamping on Fernandinho in an off the ball incident on May 4th. In European competitions, he was banned from three games. When PSG defeated Monaco by a score of 2–0, Di Mara set a new all-time assist record for PSG by giving a pass for a Kylian Mbappé goal. It was his 104th appearance as a PSG player.

Di Mara won the Ligue 1 title for the club's fifth league title in 2021-22 season. His departure from Paris at the end of his deal was confirmed on May 2022. Di Mara scored a goal and recorded an assist in his last match for the club against Metz on May 21st, helping his team win 5–0. The Parc des Princes paid him a respect and applause. Di Mara played for PSG for 92 goals and 112 assists in 295 matches.

After signing an annual contract, Di Mara joined Juventus as a free agent on July 8th. In Juventus's first game of the Serie A season, he scored the opening goal and later assisted Duan Vlahovi's second goal, but he was forced to be back in the second half due to a back injury. In a 2–1 home loss to his former club Benfica on September 15, he made his 100th Champions League appearance and debut with Juventus in the tournament.

International career

In 2007, Di Mara was selected to compete for Argentina's u20 team. He was capped for the 2007 South American U-20 Championship in Paraguay. He was selected for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada in 2007. They went on to win the tournament, with Di Mara scoring three goals in the process.

Di Mara and some of his under-20s teammates were selected for the Argentina Olympic football team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics on January 28, 2008. In the 105th minute of his team's 2–1 quarter-final victory over the Netherlands, he scored an extra-time game-winning goal on a pass from Lionel Messi. In the 57th minute of Argentina's 1–0 victory over Nigeria, Di Mara scored the game-winner – a chip over the goalkeeper from the edge of the field – for their second-straight Olympic gold medal in the final game of the Olympic tournament on August 23.

In a match against Paraguay, Di Mara made his Argentina senior team's debut on September 6, 2008.

Di Mara was selected by Argentina's head coach Diego Maradona in the 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa on May 19, 2010. In a 5–friendly victory over Canada on May 24, Di Mara scored his first foreign goal. He helped Argentina reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, competing in all five of Argentina's matches and starting four of them.

Argentina defeated Argentina 0–1. Di Mara scored the first international goal at Dublin's new Aviva Stadium in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland on August 11th.

During the 2011 Copa América tournament, Di Mara appeared three times, scoring once more against Costa Rica in the group stage.

Di Mara made 12 appearances during the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign and was selected in Argentina's national team for the tournament finals. After 118 minutes, Di Mara scored the only goal of the match against Switzerland in Argentina's round of 16 matches against Switzerland. Di Mara suffered a muscle tear in the thigh and was later kicked off the field during the quarter-final match against Belgium. Di Mara would miss the remainder of the tournament due to the injury later in the game. He had previously aided in the creation of Gonzalo Higua's only goal of the tournament, which saw Argentina advance to the semi-finals. Argentina finished as runners-up to Germany in the tournament.

Di Mara was named on the ten-man shortlist for FIFA's Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player on July 11th.

Di Mara had a hand in all four Argentina's goals in a 2–4 victory, assisting three and scoring one on September 3rd.

Di Mara was named in Argentina's national team for the 2015 Copa América on May 28th. He was chosen to captain the team in the absence of Lionel Messi for a warm-up match against Bolivia on June 6, scoring twice in a 5–0 victory. Di Mara won a penalty against Paraguay in La Serena a week later, a week later in the tournament's first match, beating them 2–2 draw. Argentina defeated Paraguay 6–1 to advance to the final on June 30th, with Sergio Agüero scoring twice and assisting a goal. Within the first half-hours of the final against Chile, he was diagnosed with a hamstring injury, and his team lost in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw.

On 6 June 2016, Argentina's opening match of the Copa América Centenary Centenario, Di Mara scored the first goal of the game against defending champions Chile and later assisted Éver Banega in a 2–1 victory. Di Mara dedicated the contest to his grandmother, who had recently died. He played for Nicolás Otamendi's opening goal against Panama on June 10th, but was later forced to leave due to injury. Argentina defeated Argentina 5–0 in the match. Argentina reached the Copa América final for the second time in a row, losing on penalties to Chile after a 0–0 draw. He missed the remainder of the tournament due to sickness.

In the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, Di Mara made 18 appearances. Di Mara was selected by manager Jorge Sampaoli for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on May 22nd. In a 4-3 loss that saw Argentina eliminated from the World Cup in the Round of 16, he scored a long range goal against France on June 30th.

He was selected in the Lionel Scaloni's final 23-man Argentina squad for the 2019 Copa América on May 21.

Di Mara was one of Argentina's 2021 Copa América in Brazil in June 2021. In Argentina's third group match against Paraguay, he scored his only goal of the game, scoring by Papu Gómez, on June 21; his team advanced to the quarter-finals. Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 in the final of the tournament against Brazil on July ten years ago, giving Argentina their joint 15th Copa América title and their first international title since 1993. Rodrigo De Paul had a long walk in the Brazilian penal area. Renan Lodi, a Brazilian defender, was marginally deflected before Di Mara commanded the ball with the left foot; he chipped the ball over goalkeeper Ederson, giving Argentina a lead. Despite being recalled late in the second half of the match, Argentina's goal would remain as the winning effort.

In a 3–0 victory over reigning European Champions Italy at Wembley Stadium in the 2022 Finalissima, Di Mara scored Argentina's second goal on June 1st 2022.

Career statistics

Argentina's goal tally first in terms of scores and results.

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