Angel Di Maria: I stayed at Real Madrid because of Cristiano Ronaldo

Angel Di Maria indicated that his friendship with Cristiano Ronaldo was vital to his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu

Manchester United’s record transfer Angel Di Maria revealed that he stayed at Real Madrid last season only due to his friendship with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine, who was linked with a move away from Spain in the summer of 2013 chose to stay only because of the equation he shared with Ronaldo.

He said, "The truth is that I have a great relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo and I stayed at Madrid last season thanks to him. I left Madrid in the best possible way, by winning La Decima. In my farewell letter, I said exactly how I felt from the first day at the Bernabeu.”

Di Maria also spoke about his move to United, saying, "I am grateful to Manchester United for meeting Madrid's demands. But I don't feel any extra pressure because I'm the most expensive player in the Premier League. The Premier League is more physical and about strength, whereas Spain was more about football. It's a very strong league, though. Van Gaal has told me to try to adapt as quickly as possible."

The attacking midfielder had earlier become disillusioned with life with Real, as record signing James Rodriguez had been bought, and was touted to be taking his place in the starting line-up. He was also unhappy with the contract rolled out by the European champions, and so decided to move on.