Victory-Benfica, Thursday evening (8.30 pm) at the Algarve Stadium, marks the meeting between Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo, two football gods, one of whom proudly wears the title of world champion, and the other is considered one of the best players in history. from the sport.
The Argentine and the Portuguese played together at Real Madrid for four years (2010-2014) and bonded in that time. The left-hander remains the fourth player to have provided more assists for the Madeira-born top scorer, with 25 assists (just behind Benzema, Gareth Bale and Ozil), whose company has helped him win six trophies, including A.D. Liga dos Champions, in 2014, at the Estádio da Luz, against rivals Atlético Madrid.
In the memory of Meringue supporters, there were several moments between the two, almost always with a Benfica player’s cross (from the left, from the right, with a trevilla or letter) and the striker to achieve (right, left foot and a lot of heads). The assistant role, by the way, suits Di Maria very well, the second active player with the most assists (258), behind compatriot Lionel Messi.
Seven in the old traffic
It will be the fifth time that Di Maria and Ronaldo have faced each other after the Argentine left the Spanish capital in 2014, heading to Manchester United, where CR7 came in 2009. Three Champions League appearances followed, with El Fideo already worn out. The colors of Paris Saint-Germain, with a draw and two victories for Real Madrid, one of which was a scoring contribution from the captain of the national team (2-1, round of 16, in 2018).
They never played together again, but Di Maria still walked on land that belonged to Ronaldo: season (2014/15) in Red Devils Wearing the legendary jersey number 7 and later at Juventus (2022/2023), which the striker represented between 2018 and 2021.
Back in Portugal, Ángel Di Maria brings with him immense experience and accumulated achievements that put him at the top of the world. A comparison with Ronaldo is enough to understand the dimensions of his career: he has one less collective title than CR7 (34 vs. 33) – if he plays and beats FC Porto in the Super Cup, Angelito equals him in titles.
“I have a great friendship with Cristiano Ronaldo. He always supported me even when I was falling apart, he fought to stay at Real Madrid. Thanks to him, I stayed longer at Real Madrid. I finished my time in Madrid by winning the Champions League. I left in the best way, ”said the Argentine in 2014, after Real Madrid replaced Manchester United.
Di Maria is a great player. He was an important player for Real Madrid. Ronaldo’s answer to this question, especially in big matches, is that he always manages to create goal-scoring opportunities.
Today they are much older but still have star status. Things are only available to senior players.
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