Why did Angel di Maria change his mind about joining boyhood club Rosario Central?

The winger was keen on returning to his boyhood club.

Angel di Maria, a former winger for Argentina, claims that threats of murder made him change his mind about going back to his boyhood club, Rosario Central.

After departing Benfica at the end of the previous season, the 36-year-old became a free agent. Earlier this month, he announced his retirement from international football after Argentina won the Copa America 2024.

After playing for Rosario Central in his early career days, from 2005 to 2007, Di Maria desired to finish his career there.

However, he was compelled to reconsider after receiving several threats against him and his family, which he chose not to disclose out of fear.

“There was a threat at my sister’s business, a box with a pig’s head and a bullet in the forehead, and a note that said that if I returned to [Rosario] Central, the next head was that of my daughter Pia,” Di Maria told a television station in Rosario on Tuesday.

“Those months were horrible. We could only sit there and cry each night over not being able to carry out that dream return.”

Before moving to Real Madrid, Di Maria completed three years with Benfica after leaving Rosario for the Portuguese team in 2007.

He came to Manchester United in a then-British record transfer, £59.7 million, after four seasons in the Spanish capital. Angel di Maria only stayed at United for 12 months before joining Paris Saint-Germain.

Di Maria spent seven years with PSG. He then joined Italian club Juventus and subsequently returned to Benfica in 2023.

The Argentine administration said earlier this year that it will present a measure to Congress. It will involve authorising the military to get involved in internal security operations aimed at combating crime and drug trafficking in Rosario.

Due to his Benfica contract expiring, Di Maria is presently a free agent. Reports suggest that the midfielder has negotiated a deal to prolong his stay, so he may remain another year at Benfica.

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