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Lionel Messi reportedly tried hard to get Barcelona to sign Cristiano Ronaldo's ex-Real Madrid teammate Angel Di Maria in 2017. Messi and Di Maria have played together for La Albiceleste since the beginning of their international careers, having shared the pitch 75 times with nine joint goal participations.
Angel Di Maria signed for Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid from Benfica in the summer of 2010 for a reported €33 million. The Argentine superstar faced Barcelona 16 times during his four-year spell at Real Madrid, scoring two goals and creating four more.
One of his most iconic moments against Barcelona was the 2010-11 Copa del Rey final on April 20, 2011. After a scoreless ninety minutes, Di Maria produced an inch-perfect cross into the penalty box in the first period of extra time. It was headed home by Cristiano Ronaldo for the game's only goal.
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As per Spanish outlet AS, Angel Di Maria came close to signing for La Blaugrana in 2017. His compatriot Lionel Messi pushed hard for the move, but it eventually didn't come to fruition.
The report states that Di Maria's move was closely linked to Paris Saint-Germain's €222-million operation to sign Neymar Jr. in 2017. Having lost one of the most sought-after talents in Europe, Barcelona splashed the cash to sign Ousmane Dembele for a whopping €135 million from Borussia Dortmund.
However, they wanted to sign another quality forward and Di Maria's name was high on the list. Despite Lionel Messi's efforts, the move fell through, primarily because of PSG's reluctance to do business with the Catalan giants.
The relationship between the two clubs had reportedly soured after the Neymar saga and El Remontada in March 2017.
When Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo opined on his rivalry with Barcelona's Lionel Messi ahead of El Clasico
In 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo opened up about his rivalry with Lionel Messi and Barcelona ahead of the season's first El Clasico. The Portuguese juggernaut played down his rivalry with the Argentine legend, citing that he was playing against a team and not an individual player.
The Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry has divided the footballing world for over two decades now. It started in earnest when Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 for a reported €94 million. From then on, El Clasicos became a global spectacle, with the entire world tuning in to watch the two titans in action.
In 2014, Ronaldo was set to face Barca at the Santiago Bernabeu on October 25. In an interview ahead of the game, the Portuguese superstar stated that he was focused on the team rather than on an individual player.
"I am not going to play against Messi. I am going to playing against Barcelona," he said (via BBC Sport).
Despite Neymar scoring the opening goal for the Blaugrana, Los Blancos had the last laugh. The match ended 3-1 in favor of Madrid courtesy of goals by Ronaldo, Pepe, and Karim Benzema.
