"I always call him midget" - PSG's Angel Di Maria opens up on his relationship with Lionel Messi
Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi will finally be playing for the same club side, PSG, this season. Currently on international duty with Argentina, both Di Maria and Lionel Messi enjoy a healthy relationship on and off the pitch.
Speaking in an interview with TyC Sports, PSG star Di Maria expressed his delight over finally playing with Lionel Messi at the same club:
“In my career, I was missing the icing on the cake: Playing with Leo (Messi) at a club. I had several chances to go to Barca. It makes me happy to have him every day and to see what he does and not only when we are with the Argentina team."
Speaking about his friendship with Lionel Messi, Di Maria spoke about their common love for Mate (South American caffeine drink) and the affectionate nicknames they have for each other:
“We are the first two who arrive to training, it’s true. Me first, I’m there just a few minutes before. After that he gets there and we prepare some mate.
“I always call him “Enano” (midget). At first no but when the friendship started, I started saying that. I think it’s like how he calls me Fide (noodle), I call him Enano, it was a while back and it will always remain that way.
“Because if you treat him like what he is, an alien, you have him in that bubble which he doesn’t like. Because he likes to share moments, go out and have a BBQ, have some mate, have a good time, laugh.
“We mess around and everything, in the press, they say that he is an alien because he is, he is the best in the world. But at the end of the day, for us, he’s Leo. He’s the midget and we treat him that way.”
Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria will be hoping for UEFA Champions League success at PSG
PSG have had a stunning transfer window and are one of the favorites heading into the UEFA Champions League this season. Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi have conjured some extremely memorable moments for Argentina and they will be hoping to create some special moments for PSG as well this season.
Both Messi and Di Maria featured for Argentina in their 3-1 win against Venezuela. With a high-profile World Cup qualifier against Brazil coming up on Sunday, the Argentine duo will be hopeful of repeating their Copa America heroics once again against their rivals.
Lionel Messi played the full 90 minutes against Venezuela and that means the Argentine could finally be fit enough to start for PSG when they take on Clermont Foot at Parc des Princes.
Also read: "I didn't give a f*** about the Manchester United No. 7" - PSG star Angel Di Maria explains what went wrong at Old Trafford