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Lionel Messi and the rest of his Argentine teammates will try to convince Angel Di Maria to return to the national team. This is according to Journalist Fernando Czyz (via All About Argentina).
Di Maria retired from La Albiceleste's national team after the 2024 Copa America competition, in which they emerged champions. The former Real Madrid winger is tricky and his attacking proficiency is outstanding.
Di Maria made his debut for La Albiceleste's first team in 2008. In 145 appearances across all competitions, he scored 31 goals and registered 32 assists for Argentina.
The 36-year-old is a highly experienced winger who played for some of the best clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid and Manchester United. Thus, Argentina might be willing to leverage Di Maria's wealth of experience in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup competition.
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The report, as mentioned above, also claims that Di Maria is happy having retired from the national team. However, La Albiceleste players are looking to convince Di Maria in their quest to defend their 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy in the 2026 tournament.
In the ongoing 2024-25 season, we've once again witnessed a glimpse of Di Maria's brilliance in attack. In 25 appearances across all competitions, he has scored 13 goals and registered six assists for Benfica. However, Di Maria's contract at Benfica expires in the summer. Thus, it will be interesting to see what could be his next decision regarding his club career.
His decent performances could be one of the many reasons why his La Albiceleste teammates are prioritizing his potential return. Meanwhile, Argentina's manager Lionel Scaloni hasn't commented on Di Maria's possible return.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be here on this very special night for you" - what Lionel Messi said during Angel Di Maria's international retirement in Argentina
La Albiceleste's captain Lionel Messi apologized for missing Di Maria's farewell event. At the time, Messi was reportedly recovering from an ankle injury in Florida that prevented him from walking freely.
However, Messi made a video thanking Di Maria for his sacrifice on the pitch and he wished him well. He said (via GOAL):
“I'm sorry I couldn't be here on this very special night for you, you know I’m trying to get better so I can come back. I wanted to be there, even with this video, and I hope you enjoy this night with your family, your loved ones and all the people of Argentina. This tribute is so well deserved for everything you gave us. On a personal level, we told each other everything we had to say. We were lucky enough to share a year together. Who would have thought about everything we went through in the national team, everything we experienced. Beyond everything we had to go through, we ended up champions of everything. Enjoy it because you deserve it, we're going to miss you a lot.”
Messi and Di Maria won several trophies as teammates in Argentina's squad. The most famous was the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy. The pair also lifted the 2021-22 and 2023-24 Copa America trophies among others.
