Former Paris Saint Germain and Manchester United player, Angel Di Maria has announced his retirement from the national team.
The midfielder confirmed that he will leave the World Cup winners after the 2024 Copa America. This decision means that Angel Di Maria will not be part of the team that will play the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
He announced his retirement on his official Instagram account on Thursday, November 23, 2023. According to him, this was a difficult decision to make and he could feel the pain deep down in his soul.
He said,
“With all the pain in my soul and feeling a lump in my throat, I say goodbye to the most beautiful thing that happened to me in my career, dressing it, sweating it and feeling it with all the pride.”
here were reports that players, including Di Maria, were considering leaving the national team because of Messi, a decision which the former Barcelona player rescinded.
Recall that Di Maria said was close to international retirement after a third straight final defeat, following on from the 2014 World Cup and 2015 Copa America.
“When Messi retired, I thought about doing the same, you can lose a final, but three in a row, that’s something different. I thought about leaving the national team, but my wife and my father stopped me. I almost started therapy, but in the end, I decided it was something I had to figure out by myself, If I lose another final, that’s it.”
Di Maria will always remember his time with the national team by winning the Copa America and the FIFA World Cup.
