Ángel Di María

Ángel Fabián Di María, affectionately nicknamed "Fideo" (noodle) due to his slender frame, is an Argentine professional footballer born on 14 February 1988 in Rosario, Argentina. He began his footballing journey at the tender age of four with his boyhood club Rosario Central, making his professional debut in December 2005 before securing a transfer to Portuguese giants Benfica in 2007. At Benfica, he won the Primeira Liga and two Taça da Liga titles, earning the moniker "Magic Tri María" for his creative play. In 2010, he joined Real Madrid for €25 million, where he became instrumental in winning the 2011–12 La Liga title and the club's historic "La Décima" UEFA Champions League in 2014, earning man-of-the-match honors in the final against Atlético Madrid. Following a British record £59.7 million move to Manchester United in 2014, he struggled to find consistent form and soon transferred to Paris Saint-Germain in 2015, embarking on a seven-year spell where he won five Ligue 1 titles, became the club's all-time assist leader, and helped them reach the 2020 Champions League final. He subsequently had stints with Juventus and a second spell at Benfica, winning the 2024–25 Taça da Liga, before returning to Rosario Central in 2025. Renowned for his exceptional dribbling, vision, crossing ability, and powerful left foot, Di María primarily operates as a winger or attacking midfielder, and he stands as Argentina's all-time top assist provider in the Champions League.

On the international stage, Di María has been a cornerstone of the Argentina national team, earning 145 caps between 2008 and his retirement in 2024. His international accolades include winning the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and scoring the decisive extra-time goal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic final against Nigeria to secure gold for Argentina. His senior career reached its zenith with consecutive major tournament victories: he scored the winning goal in the 2021 Copa América final against Brazil, helped secure the 2022 Finalissima against Italy, and delivered a man-of-the-match performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, scoring Argentina's second goal in their triumph over France. He also added the 2024 Copa América title before retiring from international duty as a celebrated champion. Off the pitch, Di María holds Italian citizenship through ancestry, is Roman Catholic, and is married to Jorgelina Cardoso since 2011, with whom he has two daughters, Mia and Pia, with Mia having survived a premature birth. Despite facing personal challenges including multiple home invasions and being named in the Pandora Papers regarding offshore financial dealings, Di María remains widely regarded as one of Argentina's greatest footballers and a clutch performer in major finals.