Legends are missed. After Ángel Di María’s decision to retire from the national team after winning the Copa América for the second consecutive time in 2024 with Argentina, fans started a campaign for him to play in his last World Cup.
‘El Fideo’ was part of the group of players who became world champions in Qatar in 2022, and his goals were vital to the victory. Now, Albiceleste fans want him back, but he has already made his decision.
Di María’s blunt message about returning to the national team
The biggest soccer event, to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, will have one notable absence: ‘Angelito’ Di María.
Stating that he felt he had “completed a cycle” with the Albiceleste, he decided to leave his place to new stars, but the affection and fanaticism is so great that Argentines are clamoring for his return.
At 38, he continues to play for Rosario Central, his hometown team, where he still plays at an elite level, so he is in good physical shape, as he himself acknowledged in an interview with Argentine radio station Urbana Play 104.3 FM: “I never thought I would reach 38 and be in this shape.”
However, Di María also confirmed that he will not play in the 2026 World Cup: “I’m calm. I know what people are saying,” Ángel acknowledged. “I’ve seen many of the guys, sometimes I write to some of them and they tell me the same thing when I post pictures, when I score goals or whatever, but I’m calm, I’m fine. I’m decisive, I’m still the same, I’m still the same,” he said (via Olé).
He also recalled that his desire to retire from the Argentine national team was born after winning the World Cup in Qatar on December 18, 2022, when they defeated France in the final, but that he wasn’t entirely sure at the time: “I didn’t leave because I was champion in the last Copa América. I was going to leave at the World Cup because I felt I had completed a cycle, and then the guys started saying, ‘No, no, no…’” he clarified.
On the other hand, during the interview, the former Juventus star recalled the time when Lionel Scaloni did not call him up: “He felt that those who were in my position put a lot of pressure on him because he knew that being on the bench and coming on for them to be a starter,” he said.
Of course, he also acknowledged that “being on the national team is the best thing there is” and that there is “nothing higher than that,” so he didn’t mind being on the bench if necessary, and in the same way, he left the door open by admitting that “you can always come back, that’s the reality.”
However, Di María’s spirit and conviction to give the opportunity to “those who come after him” is remarkable. He spoke about the young players who have joined the Albiceleste ahead of soccer’s biggest tournament and recalled his own experience: “It happened to me: when such important games as the World Cup or Copa América come around, you need to have playing time, you need to have that experience behind you to feel good, and when you’re there, sometimes you take that opportunity away from those coming up behind you, and that’s not nice. In my opinion, it’s not nice,” he said.
For its part, Argentina will participate in another World Cup, this time without Di María, who played in four editions: in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.
Now, it will seek to defend its title in Group J, alongside Austria, Algeria, and Jordan. It will debut against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, then face Austria on Monday, June 22, and Jordan on Friday, June 26.
Read the full article here
