Angel Di Maria names former Manchester United boss as the worst manager he's had in his career
Angel Di Maria has named former Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal as the worst manager he's worked under in his career. In an interview with ESPN Argentina, Di Maria was asked to name the top three managers he's had in his career.
The Benfica forward said:
"The worst is Van Gaal, you can be sure of that. In case you had any doubt, I'll clear that up for you right now."
Angel Di Maria joined United from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014 and spent the 2014-15 season at Old Trafford, when he worked with Van Gaal. In 2015, Di Maria left Manchester United to join Paris Saint-Germain, before playing for Juventus and his current club Benfica.
In response to the original question, Angel Di Maria named current Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni and former La Albiceleste boss Alejandro Sabella as two of the best coaches he has worked with.
Finally, Di Maria named Argentine legend Diego Maradona as one of the most special managers he's worked under. He added:
"I won't consider him as a manager to you because to me he was more of a close friend, someone who stopped by to chat. He didn't seem like a manager but more like a friend, a brother, a dad. A dad more than anything. He would put up with me when nobody else did, helped me to move forward. The more criticism I received, the more he supported me."
This is not the first time Di Maria criticized Louis van Gaal's managerial skills. Di Maria made similar claims about his experience at Manchester United under the Dutchman back in 2021.
"My problem at Manchester United was the coach" - When Angel Di Maria criticized Van Gaal's managerial tactics
Speaking to TyC Sports in 2021, Angel Di Maria did not hold back on his criticism of Louis van Gaal's managerial approach at Man United. The Argentine elaborated on his poor experience at Old Trafford, and said:
“My problem at Manchester United was the coach. Van Gaal was the worst of my career. I would score, assist, and the next day he would show me my misplaced passes. He displaced me from one day to the other, he didn’t like players being more than him.”
Louis van Gaal responded to Di Maria's criticism ahead of the Netherlands' clash against Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final. The Dutchman was the coach of the Netherlands national team at the time. Addressing Di Maria's comments from 2021, he said:
"Di Maria calling me the worst manager he has ever had? He's one of the few players with this opinion. I'm really sorry about this and I find it sad he said this."
After a 2-2 draw in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final, Argentina defeated the Dutch team 4-3 on penalties. La Albiceleste went on to win the World Cup in 2022.