At 38, Ángel Di María continues to add titles to his career, but this time, it was a special one. ‘El Fideo’ completed the coaching course at the Argentine Football Coaches Association school in Rosario and earned his official certification, qualifying him to become a coach when he decides to hang up his football boots.
Following this news, comments from his former Albiceleste teammate, Leandro Paredes, have resurfaced regarding the possibility of working together on a coaching staff… and someone else from the national team might join them.
Di María received his coaching certification
Prior to Rosario Central’s match against Independiente Rivadavia, the ATFA school in Rosario posted this news on its official account, celebrating his graduation and highlighting his time as a student.
“Congratulations, Coach! With great pride, we congratulate @angeldimariajm on his certification and thank him for trusting us to train him as a coach. We are happy to have had you as a student,” they wrote.
“Thank you so much for everything,” replied “El Fideo” via his Instagram Stories.
Thus, Di María has already set one of his next goals: to remain connected to soccer from the bench. And he could be joined by his teammates from the “Scaloneta.”
Some time ago, Leandro Paredes had mentioned the possibility of forming a coaching staff together with him once they both retire: “I always said that afterward I didn’t want anything to do with soccer, but the more time passes, the more I want to. I don’t know if I’d coach, but I’d definitely be part of a coaching staff. Fide wants to be a coach, so maybe it’ll be with him. We talked about it a long time ago in Paris; he’s eager. Obviously, we have to prepare,” were Paredes’ words (via Olé).
However, Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero also joined the ATFA academy in Rosario where Angel graduated, so they could also count on the current Tottenham Hotspur player for this project-or compete against him.
Meanwhile, after announcing they would no longer wear the sky-blue and white jersey following their second consecutive Copa América title in 2024, Paredes and Romero are preparing for the 2026 World Cup and to defend the title they won with Ángel in 2022-though this time, without him.
Likewise, this achievement comes alongside Di María’s current role as a key player for Central, where he returned in 2025 to fulfill his dream of playing for the club where he began his career and to take on new challenges, such as the Copa Libertadores. Thus, as he approaches the final stretch of his career as a soccer player, Di María is already beginning to build his next chapter in soccer.
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