Angel Di Maria reveals how Real Madrid stopped him from playing in 2014 World Cup final
(Courtesy : Getty)
The former PSG star sustained an injury ahead of the 2024 WC final.
Angel Di Maria’s desire to play against Germany in the biggest match of his career was dashed by his club bosses at the time.
Angel Di Maria described it as “the most difficult day of my life when Real Madrid crushed his hopes of playing in the World Cup in 2014.
The Argentina international had hoped to play in what would have been the most important match of his illustrious career—a final match against Germany.
Angel Di Maria reveals why Real Madrid didn’t want him to feature in the 2014 World Cup final
Angel Di Maria had been recovering from a knock while travelling to that major event, and people back at Real Madrid knew that he was receiving medical attention to get through the games.
Di Maria wrote in an emotional article for The Players’ Tribune:
“It was the morning of the 2014 World Cup Final, at exactly 11 am, and I was sitting on the trainer’s table about to get an injection in my leg. I had torn my thigh muscle in the quarterfinals, but with painkillers, I could run without feeling anything. I told our trainers these exact words: “If I break, then let me keep breaking. I don’t care. I just want to be able to play,” Di Maria wrote
“I immediately knew what was happening. Everybody had heard the rumours that Real wanted to sign James Rodríguez after the World Cup, and I knew that they were going to sell me to make room for him.”
“So they didn’t want their asset to be damaged. It was that simple. That’s the business of football that people do not always see. I told Daniel to give me the letter. I didn’t even open it. I just ripped it into pieces.”
The team doctor arrived with an envelope that Real had sent while he was tending to the injury. The team doctor informed Di Maria, who was naturally shocked, “Look, Ángel, this paper came from Real Madrid.”
Di Maria reveals what he did with the letter
In the letter, the club stated that Angel Di Maria, one of its players, was not in “any condition to play.” After reading the letter, he made a decision and said:
“Yes, it’s true, I tore up the letter from Real Madrid that was sent at the behest of a certain player, telling me not to play in the 2014 World Cup final.”
Why did Real Madrid not want Angel Di Maria play in the 2014 World Cup?
Di Maria was nursing an injury, and the club didn’t want to get injured as they were looking to sell him.
Did Angel Di Maria win the 2014 World Cup?
No, they lost 1-0 to Germany.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.