Attacking midfielder Ángel Di María explained his decision to retire from the Argentine national team on Saturday. The national team is in the final of the Copa América, the 35-year-old athlete’s last tournament with the Argentine jersey, and will face Colombia. The final will be held this Sunday, at 9 pm (Brasília time), at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Florida, USA.
“My decision has been made. Before, some people wanted me to leave and now they want me to stay. After everything I achieved with the national team, today I have the peace of mind to say goodbye. Although, on the other hand, it hurts me because the national team is the place where I feel happiest,” he said in an interview with The Team.
“When you wear the national team jersey, you only think about defending your country. I gave everything for Argentina for 15 years and many young people deserve the opportunity to wear this jersey. It’s time to take that step aside. I’ll be able to start realizing that there is life outside of football,” he concluded.
🔥 WE ARE FINALISTS, ONCE AGAIN!!! 🔥
Don’t get off now! #Scaloneta 🚍 There is one last stop left! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DxmdWKWNis
— 🇦🇷 Argentina National Team ⭐⭐⭐ (@Argentina) July 10, 2024
With Argentina, Di María won a World Cup (2022), a Copa América (2021), an Olympic gold medal (2008) and a Conmebol-UEFA Champions Cup (2022). Now, he will have the chance to bid farewell to his national team with yet another title.
The midfielder also revealed his preference between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Di Maria played alongside the Argentine for many years in the national team and at Paris Saint-Germain, between 2021 and 2022. The Portuguese played alongside the number 11 at Real Madrid, from 2010 to 2014.
“They always think about winning. But at the end of the day, the best is the one who has the most Ballon d’Ors, and Messi has eight. For me, there is a certain distance between him and Cristiano. After being part of the elite for many years, they continue to be talked about all over the world, although they are now in the United States and Saudi Arabia. The competition between them allowed La Liga to grow and made everyone love football. With Messi, Americans began to rediscover football,” he said.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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