Why Ángel Di María is not getting the credit he deserves
At 31-years-old, Ángel Di Mariá still looks like a child playing in his backyard with his friends every time he steps out onto the pitch at the Parc des Princes. Di Mariá has become somewhat of a journeyman in his lengthy European football career.
He has played in Europe since 2007 when he joined Benfica from Argentinian side Rosario Central where he spent his youth academy days and got his first senior-team experience.
However, despite stints with Real Madrid from 2010 to 2014 and a short, albeit unsuccessful stint at Manchester United for a brief moment, and now with Paris Saint-Germain, Di Mariá doesn't seem to get the recognition he deserves.
To put it simply, Di Mariá is a creator and/or a playmaker constantly. His dribbling abilities and his willingness to drive at defenders makes him an indispensable asset even on a team loaded with superstars like PSG.
Just take a glance at the numbers the shifty forward has put up since Neymar Jr. went down with another serious injury.
Thanks to Ángel Di Mariá, Paris is likely going to advance past Manchester United in the Champions League thanks to two stellar assists from Di Mariá against his former club and a stunning two-goal effort earlier on Tuesday against Dijon in league play.
Put more respect on this man's name! He is a tireless player who can contribute on the attack in the direst situations. For example, the Champions League Final in 2014 against Atletico Madrid when he was still with Real Madrid.
Ángel assisted on the game-winning goal from Gareth Bale in extra time to hand Los Blancos their 10th UCL title.
All the focus of the media tends to be on Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Edinson Cavani. You simply can't forget to mention Di Mariá in the same breath as these three others.
The longer Neymar remains on the sideline, the better and better the number 11 will do. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he manages to score a goal against Manchester United in the second leg of their UEFA Champions Logo tie next week.