One of the absolute best, but most under-appreciated players of this era and even all time. Angel Di Maria has time and time again proven that he is one of the absolute greatest big-game players of all time. After coming through time and time again in huge games throughout his career, he was called upon to start on the biggest stage of all. The World Cup Final. And deliver he did.
I don’t believe anything could encapsulate the emotion of that game better than Angel Di Maria did throughout the entirety of the contest. The tears of joy, nervousness and despair in his eyes captured the rollercoaster perfectly. You couldn’t help but feel for him in those moments after his goal to put them up 2-0, Messi’s goal in overtime to put them ever so close to world’s most beautiful trophy, and then Mbappe’s heartbreaking equalizer mere minutes from the end. It was truly beautiful seeing how much this meant to him, even in the heat of the game.
After starting all 3 group games, Di Maria was almost glued to the bench in the knockout phases. A substitution in the 112th minute against the Netherlands was his only appearance, until the final. Lionel Scaloni reverted to putting Di Maria in the starting lineup, and it paid off in a huge way. He drew the penalty which Leo Messi converted in the 23rd minute, to then put Argentina up 2-0 with a clinical finish. The tears started rolling down his cheeks as he realized how close he had put his country to victory.
But he was taken off 20 minutes into the second half, to play a bit more defensively. It cost Argentina, as they didn’t create much danger without Di Maria’s depth, and France was able to score 2 goals in quick succession with a penalty and a lightning strike from Mbappe. Luckily, they were still able to pull through in overtime and penalties. But we almost saw Argentina crumble without their guardian angel once again.
Guardian Angel
Because there has been a pattern, with and without Di Maria, in Argentina’s finals. He scored in the Olympic final, which saw them bring home the gold medal, back in Beijing in 2008. He got injured during their 2014 World Cup run while he was in the form of his life, as Argentina lost the final without him. The following year, they had a shot at redemption in the Copa America final, but Di Maria was forced out in the first half of the game, as Chili was able to beat the Argentinians on penalties.
A rematch with Chili was the main stage for the 2016 Copa America Centenario edition. Di Maria started the game, but was taken off shortly before the hour mark, at a 0-0 score. Chili repeated their trick from the previous year and beat Argentina on penalties once again. The Argentina squad looked cursed, and they couldn’t change that faith in the 2018 world cup or the following year’s Copa America, as they exited before the final. The 4th Copa America in 6 years, planned for 2020, was postponed due to the Covid outbreak. Was Argentina doomed?
Turns out they weren’t, they just had to wait a very long time. The 2021 Copa final was worth the wait. Brazil-Argentina in the iconic Maracaña stadium. The perfect moment for Argentina to strike. And there was Di Maria. In the 22nd minute of the game he was able to strike against the defending champs’ hearts, and they never gave up that lead despite a near-unstoppable Neymar. Messi and Di Maria finally had their international trophy, but it was just the beginning.
In 2022, the Finalissima between the Copa and Euro winners was organized for the first time in almost 30 years. Just as in the last edition, Argentina beat their European opponents, which was Italy instead of Denmark this time. Di Maria was able to put the Argentinians up 2-0 shortly before the half-time interval, and Italy showed no force to be able to change that. They would then go on to win the World Cup, once again with Di Maria scoring on the big stage, as he did in every final for Argentina.
Football’s greatest Robin
It was a fitting storyline ending to a beautiful career for Di Maria. Throughout all this, there is one game I couldn’t ever forget. The 2014 Champions League final. Probably the biggest club stage there has ever been. Real Madrid was in search of ‘La Decima’, and had a long wait (in Madridista terms) of 12 years. In the form of his life, Di Maria was called upon to play a central role, as opposed to his regular winger role. And he delivered the performance of a lifetime.
As a Real Madrid fan, I have rarely ever seen someone create as much havoc in defense as Di Maria in that game against city rivals Atletico. Running up and down the pitch, dribbling past opponents with ease. It was a monstrous performance from the skinny kid from Rosario. His 2 touch dribble past Atleti’s defense, which resulted in a shot and rebound goal for Gareth Bale to put them up 2-1 in overtime, was one of the most beautiful moves the sport has ever seen. The Galacticos never let the lead slip, and had their desired trophy. Di Maria was rewarded for his performance with the Man of the Match-award.
It was one of the last games in the white shirt for Di Maria, who forced a transfer to Manchester United. Failing to make an impact in a struggling side, he changed teams again the following year to go to the French capital. With PSG, Di Maria produced numbers and performances. He got the Ligue 1 assists record in his very first season, became PSG’s all-time leader in assists and even got to 3rd in the Champions League record books for assists, behind two phenoms named Cristiano and Lionel.
But heartbreak struck them every year in the Champions league. Winning the European cup just wasn’t for them, as he left PSG for Juventus after 7 storied seasons. It granted Di Maria more security for playing time, and in the end turned out to be the perfect move to win the World Cup. What an ending to a phenomenal career for one of history’s most clutch and greatest ballers
Courtside 