The official announcement of Di María’s transfer to Benfica (he signs for a season) is in a few hours and should happen tomorrow, the day Benfica’s squad returns to work, although the Argentine may not join the group until later .
On the verge of returning to wear Benfica’s colors 13 years later, the extreme world champion yesterday was the target of torn praise from César Luis Menotti, one of Argentina’s greatest ever coaches, who led the Pampas team to the world title in 1978, bringing him up to the level of Maradona, Messi and Mario Kempes.
“Di María deserves the same recognition as the great Argentine footballers. For me he is equal to Kempes, Maradona and Messi. He represented Argentine football like no other,” said the current director of the national teams of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), one on one on a radio program in his country.
“Wherever you go and wherever Di María plays, those who understand football respect him in an incredible way. Those who know him adore him. For me he is an example. He is equal to the best player in the world that you want to play.” compare it,” he added.
From Madrid to Manchester
Thirteen years have passed since Angelito left Benfica, then for Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid. During this time he appeared on major European stages and scored a total of 139 goals and 196 assists in 557 matches played for Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and Juventus for the clubs he represented.
He spent four seasons in Madrid and showed in the Spanish capital all the arguments that led the Spanish club to pay 25 million euros to Benfica in the summer of 2010. He scored a total of 35 goals and made 66 assists in 190 games for the Whites. There were six trophies: 1 Champions League, 1 European Super Cup, 1 Spanish League, 2 King’s Cups and 1 Spanish Super Cup.
From Madrid he went to Manchester United, where he only stayed for one season. He scored four goals and provided 11 assists in 32 appearances, but left the English club disillusioned with coach Louis van Gaal – he even went so far as to say that the Dutchman had been the worst coach of his career.
“He was unbearable. I scored and assisted in a game and the next day he came to talk to me to show me videos of the passes I missed. He didn’t like the fact that the players were more important than him,” complained Di Maria.
Radiant in Paris
From Manchester he traveled to Paris in 2015 to wear the colors of the millionaire PSG. He remained there for seven seasons, with figures illustrating his importance to the team, scoring a total of 92 goals and providing 112 assists in 295 games. In fact, he became the player with the most assists in the history of the French emblem, having won 19 titles: 5 French Leagues, 5 French Cups, 5 French Super Cups and 4 League Cups.
In 2022/23, at the end of his contract, he signed for Juventus. Last season he stayed in Turin, recording eight goals and seven assists in a season that was somewhat injury-ridden. Vecchia Signora was the only emblem, along with Manchester United, where it failed to win a single title.
Goals and especially assists. Those responsible at Benfica expect that from the player, currently 35 years old, but who recently showed at the World Cup in Qatar won by Argentina that his qualities remain intact. By the way, in the final against France, he scored a goal and provided an assist for Messi.
Luz and Maradona
Interestingly, Di María’s connection with the Argentina national team started at Benfica and at Estádio da Luz. On January 14, 2009, Diego Armando Maradona, who was the country’s coach at the time, went to Estádio da Luz to see the player in action in a League Cup match against Olhanense.
Despite knowing that El Pibe was in a penalty area at Estádio da Luz, coach Quique Flores left the winger on the bench. Di María only came on in the 64th minute, but still in time to score a superb goal (his first for Benfica) and see Maradona applauded. Months later he was called up for the first time for the national team and was part of the squad for the World Cup in South Africa.
“You can buy a player who passes twice for the opponent and you pay a fortune. With Di María you are guaranteed to pass seven times out of ten,” Maradona said months later.pleased with Angelito’s performance in the national team.
Now he is back at the club he always loved, his gateway to Europe, where he spent three seasons, scoring a total of 15 goals and 20 assists in 124 games. Interestingly, it was from the feet of the Argentine winger that the assist came for Rui Costa’s last goal wearing the Benfica shirt, in a match against Sporting, in Alvalade, in the Portuguese Cup, in April 2008.
Source: DN
