Ángel Di María facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 14 February 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Winger, attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Benfica | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Torito | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–2005 | Rosario Central | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Rosario Central | 35 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Benfica | 76 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2014 | Real Madrid | 124 | (22) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Manchester United | 27 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2022 | Paris Saint-Germain | 197 | (56) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Juventus | 26 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Benfica | 44 | (15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Argentina U20 | 11 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Argentina U23 | 6 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2024 | Argentina | 145 | (31) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Ángel Fabián Di María (born 14 February 1988) is an amazing Argentine footballer. He mostly plays as a right winger or an attacking midfielder for Primeira Liga club Benfica. People think Di María is one of the best Argentine players ever. He is also known as one of the greatest wingers in football history. He is famous for his awesome tricks, super speed, and quick moves.
Di María started his football journey at Rosario Central in Argentina. He became really well-known after joining Benfica in Portugal in 2007 when he was 19. He helped Benfica win their first league title in five years and two League Cups. In 2010, Di María moved to Spanish club Real Madrid. There, he won a 2011–12 La Liga title and the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League, which is a huge European club competition.
In 2014, he joined Manchester United in England. A year later, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. At PSG, Di María won five league titles, five French Cups, and four French League Cups. He also helped PSG reach their first ever Champions League final in 2020. He is one of PSG's top goal scorers and their all-time leader in assists. After leaving PSG in 2022, he played for Juventus in Italy for a year before returning to Benfica in 2023.
Di María first played for Argentina's national team in 2007 with the under-20 team. He won the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup with them. In 2008, he scored the winning goal for Argentina's Olympic team in the 2008 Olympic Games final, helping them win a gold medal. He joined the senior Argentina team in 2008. He played in four FIFA World Cups. He helped Argentina reach the final in 2014 and win their third World Cup in 2022. He even scored the second goal in the 2022 final! Di María also played in four Copa América finals, winning in 2021 and 2024. He scored the only goal in the 2021 final, which was Argentina's first trophy in 28 years. He stopped playing for the national team after winning the 2024 Copa América.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Ángel Di María was born on 14 February 1988 in Rosario, Argentina. He grew up with his two sisters, Vanesa and Evelyn. When he was a baby, he was very active. A doctor suggested he start playing football at age three.
His family didn't earn much money, so it was hard for his parents to buy football boots and support his hobby. Di María is a very family-focused person. He has used a lot of his football earnings to help his family. When he moved to Benfica, he bought a house for his parents and sisters.
Club Career
Rosario Central
Di María joined Rosario Central when he was four years old. He made his first professional appearance for Rosario Central in December 2005. He scored his first goal for the club in November 2006. After playing well in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, big clubs like Boca Juniors and Arsenal were interested in him.
Benfica
In July 2007, Di María moved to the Portuguese team Benfica. He quickly became an important player. In the 2009–10 season, he really shined under manager Jorge Jesus. He helped Benfica win the Primeira Liga (the Portuguese league title) and the Taça da Liga (League Cup). During this time, football legend Diego Maradona said Di María would become "Argentina's next superstar."
Real Madrid
Joining the Spanish Giants
On 28 June 2010, Di María joined Real Madrid in Spain. He signed a five-year contract. He played his first friendly match for Real Madrid in August 2010. He scored his first goal for the club in a friendly against Hércules.
His first league game was in August 2010. He scored his first league goal for Real Madrid in September. He also scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League that same month. In April 2011, he helped Real Madrid win the Copa del Rey final against their big rivals Barcelona. He was sent off in that game, but Real Madrid still won 1–0.
Winning La Liga and Champions League
In the 2011–12 season, Di María became a key player for Real Madrid. He helped the team win their 32nd league title. He was known for his many assists, helping his teammates score goals.
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In the 2013–14 season, Di María's role changed. He started playing more as a central midfielder. This change helped the team a lot. He scored the first goal in Real Madrid's 2–1 win over Barcelona in the 2014 Copa del Rey Final. He also had the most assists in La Liga that season.
One of his biggest moments was in the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final. He made an amazing dribble and shot that led to Gareth Bale scoring a goal. This helped Real Madrid win their tenth Champions League title, called "La Décima." Di María was named the best player of that final match.
Manchester United
On 26 August 2014, Di María joined Manchester United in England. He was given the famous number 7 shirt, worn by club legends. He scored his first goal for United on 14 September from a free-kick. He also provided an assist in that game. He was named Manchester United's Player of the Month for September. However, his time at Manchester United was short and he struggled with injuries.
Paris Saint-Germain
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In July 2015, Di María moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. He quickly made an impact, scoring his first goal for PSG in the UEFA Champions League in September. He set a new record for assists in the French league (Ligue 1) in his first season with 18 assists. He also scored the winning goal in the 2016 Coupe de la Ligue Final.
Winning Many Trophies
Di María continued to be a star for PSG. He scored important goals in the Champions League, including two against Barcelona in 2017. He helped PSG win many domestic trophies, including the French League title multiple times, the French Cup, and the French League Cup.
In the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League group stage, he scored two goals against his old club Real Madrid. He also played a big part in PSG reaching their first ever Champions League final in 2020, where they sadly lost to Bayern Munich. He became the player with the third most assists in Champions League history. In 2021, he broke PSG's all-time assist record, reaching 104 assists for the club. He left PSG in May 2022 after winning his fifth league title with them. He finished his time at PSG with 92 goals and 112 assists in 295 matches.
Juventus
On 8 July 2022, Di María joined Juventus in Italy. He scored in his first game for the club. He also made his 100th Champions League appearance with Juventus. In a Champions League match, he provided three assists, showing his amazing playmaking skills. He scored a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League in February 2023. He left Juventus in June 2023.
Return to Benfica
On 6 July 2023, Di María returned to Benfica, the club where he first became famous in Europe. He was welcomed by many fans. On 9 August, he scored in his second debut for Benfica, helping them win the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (Portuguese Super Cup). He continued to score and assist goals, showing he was still a top player.
International Career
Youth Success
In 2007, Di María played for the Argentina under-20 team. He helped them win the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, scoring three goals.
In 2008, he joined the Argentina Olympic football team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He scored the winning goal against Nigeria in the final, helping Argentina win their second straight Olympic gold medal in football.
Senior Team and World Cup Finals
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Di María made his debut for the Argentina senior team in September 2008. He scored his first international goal in May 2010. He played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup where Argentina reached the quarter-finals.
He was a key player for Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the Round of 16, he scored the only goal against Switzerland after a pass from Lionel Messi. Sadly, he got injured in the quarter-finals and missed the rest of the tournament. Argentina reached the final but lost to Germany. Di María was still nominated for the Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player.
He played in the 2015 Copa América and the Copa América Centenario in 2016. In both tournaments, Argentina reached the final but lost on penalties to Chile. Di María scored important goals in these competitions. He also played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, scoring a fantastic long-range goal against France.
World Cup Triumph and Retirement
In June 2021, Di María was part of the Argentina team that won the 2021 Copa América in Brazil. In the final against Brazil, he scored the only goal of the match, giving Argentina their first major international title since 1993. It was a historic moment!
On 1 June 2022, Di María scored another important goal for Argentina in a 3–0 win over Italy in the 2022 Finalissima, a match between the champions of South America and Europe.
In November 2022, Di María was selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On 18 December, he scored Argentina's second goal in the final against France. Argentina won the World Cup after a thrilling match that ended in a penalty shootout. This was a huge achievement, winning the World Cup for the first time in 36 years!
In October 2023, Di María announced he would retire from the national team after the 2024 Copa América. In the final against Colombia, he wore the captain's armband after Messi got injured. Argentina won the match 1–0, winning their second straight Copa América and third straight international trophy. This was Di María's last game for Argentina, ending his international career as a champion.
Style of Play
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Di María is a very fast, strong, and clever winger. He can also play as an attacking midfielder in the middle of the field. He is mostly left-footed. He's great at dribbling the ball and has amazing control. He's also very quick and has lots of energy, which helps him get past defenders.
He has excellent vision, meaning he can see passes that others might miss. He's great at taking set-pieces (like corners and free kicks) and making accurate crosses. This makes him a fantastic playmaker who creates many chances for his teammates to score. He can also score goals himself and is good at free kicks. Even though he's not the biggest player, he works very hard on the field, even helping with defense. He's known for playing really well in important matches.
Personal Life
Di María is often called "Fideo" (pronounced "fee-day-oh"), which means "noodle" in Spanish. This is because he has a slender build. He has Italian family roots and has an Italian passport. He is Roman Catholic.
He is married to Jorgelina Cardoso, and they have two daughters, Mia and Pia. Their first daughter, Mia, was born much earlier than expected but bravely survived after getting special care in the hospital.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rosario Central | 2005–06 | Argentine Primera División | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | Argentine Primera División | 25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 6 | ||
| Total | 35 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 6 | |||
| Benfica | 2007–08 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 1 |
| 2008–09 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| 2009–10 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 10 | |
| Total | 76 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 15 | ||
| Real Madrid | 2010–11 | La Liga | 35 | 6 | 8 | 0 | — | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 9 | |
| 2011–12 | La Liga | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 7 | ||
| 2012–13 | La Liga | 32 | 7 | 7 | 1 | — | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 52 | 9 | ||
| 2013–14 | La Liga | 34 | 4 | 7 | 4 | — | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 11 | ||
| 2014–15 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 124 | 22 | 22 | 5 | — | 39 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 190 | 36 | |||
| Manchester United | 2014–15 | Premier League | 27 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 4 | ||
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2015–16 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 15 |
| 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 14 | |
| 2017–18 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 21 | |
| 2018–19 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 19 | |
| 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 13 | |
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 5 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 5 | ||
| Total | 197 | 56 | 24 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 54 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 295 | 92 | ||
| Juventus | 2022–23 | Serie A | 26 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | 10 | 4 | — | 40 | 8 | ||
| Benfica | 2023–24 | Primeira Liga | 28 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 17 |
| 2024–25 | Primeira Liga | 16 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 13 | |
| Total | 44 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 76 | 30 | ||
| Career total | 529 | 113 | 69 | 20 | 34 | 15 | 155 | 38 | 10 | 5 | 797 | 191 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2014 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 13 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 6 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 9 | 2 | |
| Total | 145 | 31 | |
- Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Di María goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 May 2010 | Estadio Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Canada |
3–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 11 August 2010 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland |  Republic of Ireland |
1–0 | 1–0 | |
| 3 | 9 February 2011 | Stade de Genève, Carouge, Switzerland |  Portugal |
1–0 | 2–1 | |
| 4 | 11 July 2011 | Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba, Argentina |  Costa Rica |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2011 Copa América |
| 5 | 6 September 2011 | Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh |  Nigeria |
2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 2 June 2012 | Estadio Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Ecuador |
4–0 | 4–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 15 August 2012 | Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt am Main, Germany |  Germany |
3–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 8 | 7 September 2012 | Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba, Argentina |  Paraguay |
1–0 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 10 September 2013 | Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, Paraguay |  Paraguay |
1–0 | 5–2 | |
| 10 | 1 July 2014 | Arena Corinthians, São Paulo, Brazil |  Switzerland |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup |
| 11 | 3 September 2014 | Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany | Germany |
4–0 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 12 | 6 June 2015 | Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan, Argentina |  Bolivia |
1–0 | 5–0 | |
| 13 | 5–0 | |||||
| 14 | 30 June 2015 | Estadio Municipal de Concepción, Concepción, Chile | Paraguay |
3–1 | 6–1 | 2015 Copa América |
| 15 | 4–1 | |||||
| 16 | 24 March 2016 | Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago, Chile |  Chile |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 6 June 2016 | Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, United States | Chile |
1–0 | 2–1 | Copa América Centenario |
| 18 | 15 November 2016 | Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan, Argentina |  Colombia |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 19 | 13 June 2017 | National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore |  Singapore |
6–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 20 | 30 June 2018 | Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia |  France |
1–1 | 3–4 | 2018 FIFA World Cup |
| 21 | 10 July 2021 | Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |  Brazil |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2021 Copa América |
| 22 | 12 November 2021 | Estadio Campeón del Siglo, Montevideo, Uruguay |  Uruguay |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 23 | 27 January 2022 | Estadio Zorros del Desierto, Calama, Chile | Chile |
1–0 | 2–1 | |
| 24 | 25 March 2022 | La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina |  Venezuela |
2–0 | 3–0 | |
| 25 | 1 June 2022 | Wembley Stadium, London, England |  Italy |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2022 Finalissima |
| 26 | 16 November 2022 | Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |  United Arab Emirates |
2–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 27 | 3–0 | |||||
| 28 | 18 December 2022 | Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail, Qatar |  France |
2–0 | 3–3 (aet) (4–2 p) |
2022 FIFA World Cup |
| 29 | 28 March 2023 | Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero, Argentina |  Curaçao |
6–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 30 | 26 March 2024 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States | Costa Rica |
1–1 | 3–1 | |
| 31 | 9 June 2024 | Soldier Field, Chicago, United States | Ecuador |
1–0 | 1–0 |
Honours
Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2009–10
- Taça da Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2024–25
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2023
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2011–12
- Copa del Rey: 2010–11, 2013–14
- Supercopa de España: 2012
- UEFA Champions League: 2013–14
- UEFA Super Cup: 2014
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22
- Coupe de France: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20
- Trophée des Champions: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Argentina U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2007
Argentina Olympic
- Olympic Games: 2008
Argentina
- FIFA World Cup: 2022
- Copa América: 2021, 2024
- CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions: 2022
Individual
- Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2014
- FIFA FIFPro World11: 2014
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2014
- IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade 2011–2020
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2014
- ESM Team of the Year: 2015–16, 2019–20
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2013–14
- UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2019–20
- UEFA Europa League top assist provider: 2009–10 (Shared with Mesut Özil)
- Primeira Liga top assist provider: 2009–10
- La Liga top assist provider: 2013–14
- Ligue 1 top assist provider: 2015–16, 2019–20
- SJPF Player of the Month: April 2010
- UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Month: December 2015
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2015–16, 2018–19
- Primeira Liga Player of the Month: November 2024
- Primeira Liga Forward of the Month: November 2024
See Also
In Spanish: Ángel Di María para niños
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
