Real Madrid’s Angel Di Maria has been sold to Manchester United for a £59.7m transfer fee and this is one of the biggest transfers of this summer window.
In this article it will be revealed 5 things that you may not know about Di Maria’s life.
#1Angel Di Maria once fell into a well, and survived
When Angel Di Maria was a child he had a near-death experience. This happen when Di Maria family had been transferred to a new home but, the house infrastructure started falling apart. “My mother always recalls the story. I was a year old and had a baby walker and went outside and fell into a well. I was lucky because they saved me in time otherwise I wouldn’t be here to talk about it.” Di Maria reminds about the incident.
#2 Angel Di Maria’s first transfer fee was 35 footballs
Before he was transferred to Real Madrid in the summer transfer window in 2010, for a €25 million, plus €11 million in, Angel Di Maria was already considered as a winger who became one of the most successful player in the history of Portugal and Argentina football.
In an interview to RealMadridTV in 2011 Di Maria told: “They drove a hard bargain to release me. The transfer fee was 35 footballs. That probably puts into perspective where I was and how much it took to get me. Mind you, I was very young, about four so I’m not sure it really counts.”
His career started in one of the most prolific youth academies in Argentine football, Rosario Central.
The most crucial moment in his career was when he made his debut for Rosario Central, at the age of 17.Since that moment his career has been led to the top at Real Madrid. He won his first valuable honor during his spell at Benefica and furthermore he was awarded as the best player in the Portuguese league.
#3 It was his doctor who suggested him to be a footballer
When Angel Di Maria was three years old, he used to break things. His mother was worried about his son and took him to see a doctor.
“My mother got tired of me breaking everything in the house so she took me to see a doctor when I was three,” he reminds. “I was running around the examination room breaking everything. The doctor told my mother ‘Sign him up for a sport’ and that is where my career began.”
#4 The meaning behind Di Maria’s tattoo
Just before transferring to Benefica in 2007, Angel Di Maria and his best friends tattooed in their left forearm the phrase ‘Nacer en El Perdriel fué y será lo mejor que me pasó en la vida’.
“To be born in El Perdriel was and will be the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life.” This is the literal translation of the phrase.
‘No matter where they would go, their roots will be always of Perdriel’, this is how they paraphrase the meaning of their identical tattoo.
#5 Personal Accolades
The crucial member for Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United Angel Di Maria, times ago has been the winner of leagues in both Spain and Portugal.
Di Maria was involved in the club’s 32nd Premiera Liga winning campaign, during his three-season long career at Benefica.
Moreover, he was voted as the best player in the Portuguese league.
When he played at Real Madrid he was the winner of the La Liga once, n 2012 under then-boss Jose Mourinho. In the final against Atletico Madrid he was awarded the Man of the Match award. Additionally, he has won the Copa del Rey twice, a UEFA Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup.