Di María already has the OK from Benfica to come to Argentina and receive a tribute before the match with Chile at the Monumental

Next Thursday, when the game clock between Argentina y Chile reach number 11, a loud applause will occur at the Monumental stadium. Maybe the mourning will stop South American Qualifiers when from all sectors the “Fideo/Fideo/Fideo”. There will be applause and tears, too, because Angel Di Maria will put the final bow on his remarkable career with the Selection.

The 36-year-old attacking midfielder will leave behind 145 games, 31 goals, 4 titles (World Cup 2022, Copa América 2021 and 2024 and Finalissima 2022) and countless plays and moments that will remain for eternity. Something else: dressed in light blue and white, Di María won the gold medal in Beijing 2008 and was champion of the U-20 World Cup in 2007.

The idea of ​​paying tribute to Di María began to take shape minutes after the 1-0 victory against Colombia in Miami for the Copa América. His own teammates – led by Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul – were the ones who promoted the possible recognition. “It would be good,” Fideo told them. At first it was thought that he would play until the 11th minute, but that will not be able to happen because at the moment he is not part of Lionel Scaloni’s squad.

So, It is presumed that he will receive a plaque and a t-shirt in the preview, in addition to the care that the fans will give him throughout the day.. More: the goals against Brazil in the Maracaná, the one from the final against Nigeria in China, the one scored against Italy in the 2022 Finalissima and the great goal against France in the Lusail will be projected on the Monumental’s giant screen. It is also worth highlighting the gesture of Benfica, the Portuguese team that gave the footballer permission to travel.

“He will have his well-deserved tribute. I had a talk with him and I think the best thing for everyone is for him to come and retire with his people, feel identified with everything he has given us and for it to be a special day. It was a movie ending for him, it couldn’t have been better. That is the idea, that you have a night as you deserve”assured Scaloni as soon as he landed in Argentina.

“The National Team is like the club of my life. When you start it is difficult to think that you can spend so many years in the same place and even more wearing your country’s shirt. Having been there throughout my entire career is something unforgettable,” Di María said in an interview with ESPN. And he continued: “There were beautiful moments when it all started: U-20 World Cup, South American when I was a boy, Olympic Games that I went to from nowhere and ended up scoring the goal in the final. Then the difficult moments I went through, which I think were more than I enjoyed. But all that made me strong for what came at the end, which I enjoyed.”.

Likewise, Di María’s career continues beyond saying goodbye to the National Team. Without going any further, this Friday afternoon he started and played 77 minutes during the visit of Benfica to Moreirense for the fourth round of the Portuguese league. Nicolás Otamendi and Gianluca Prestianni also started.

But his name will no longer be on Scaloni’s lists and that will be something he will have to get used to. “The other day I realized that I was ready to quit because I wasn’t with that anxiety that the list was going to come out. He knew he wasn’t going to be there and then it was just another day. When it came out, I saw that many began to upload things on social networks and I realized that it was the right time. I really enjoyed these last few years. “All that I enjoyed outweighed the bad times I had and for me that is fundamental,” Fideo said.

And he expanded: “I didn’t check the last list, I just looked up to see the guys who were there. Now I am another fan of the National Team and I want them to do well as before. I think there is a very nice generation of players, with a lot of quality, who are beginning to be in important clubs and that is important.”.

Di María talked about everything in the interview with ESPN. He chose the best coaches of his career (Scaloni, Sabella and Mourinho, in that order; the worst, Louis Van Gaal), the goal he shouted the most (against France in the World Cup) and the day he enjoyed the most (Copa América final at the Maracana). He also gave hints about the future. “I’m doing the coaching course, in case he suits me. You never know. I already have an assistant, because Leandro Paredes recently put pressure on me in a note, he warned.

“The ovations I received in recent years were unforgettable for me and my family,” Di María acknowledged with tears in her eyes. She continued: “My wife said it many times, she was on the court and heard them harassing me, and my father and my mother were there listening and suffering. It is what makes one bad and hurts one. But now being able to hear the cheers at the end is what makes me happy. That my old man and my old woman now listen to ‘Di María’ or ‘Fideo, Fideo’ is the greatest thing there is”.

“I didn’t want anything more, I didn’t ask for anything more than that and I had it in the end. And it’s the most beautiful thing,” concluded the person who, at the age of 36, decided to put an end to his relationship with the National Team after winning his second continental title with the albiceleste this year in the United States.

In another excerpt, Di María also highlighted the demands of the Argentine fan. “In Argentina if you don’t win you are a failure”defined Fideo. And he added: “We reached the finals and it was not achieved, and we always hit the wall, and it could not collapse.”

Finally, he commented that he does not feel behind Lionel Messi y Diego Maradona as a player because they “are from another planet,” and he said he was happy for having shared moments with both of them. “With having been able to play with Leo and having Diego as coach, that’s it”he expressed.