Angel Di María: the redemption arc that defines a generation
El Fideo wrapped up a long road to redemption with a decisive performance in the Qatar final, and his ongoing career now serves to spark a wider conversation about what the Argentina national team owes to a player who never stopped pushing for glory.
There is no record in the history of Argentina’s national team of a resilience story quite like the one belonging to Ángel Di María. His career stands not only on his talent but on a relentless drive and hunger for triumph. Those qualities have etched him into the pantheon of Albiceleste legends, a status that continues to fuel debate about his rightful place among the greats and the potential to climb higher on the podium, just behind the unassailable legends of the game.
For years the debate focused on who held the top spot: Diego Maradona or Lionel Messi. The numbers have long argued in Messi’s favor — he is the all-time leader in appearances and goals for Argentina, and his World Cup moment in December added a powerful seal to a historic claim. Yet Maradona remains an untouchable emblem, a figure whose legacy transcends the passing of time. The discussion around who sits at No. 1 has always felt generational and deeply subjective, a truth that makes the title of the greatest something more than a simple tally of records.
The question of who ranks third in this exclusive trio is equally nuanced. The champions of the 1978 World Cup lean on Mario Kempés as a quintessential icon, with goals that sealed a final against the Netherlands and a roster built around towering names like Daniel Passarella and Ubaldo Fillol. Even earlier, the feats of Gabriel Batistuta, a two-time world champion with enduring World Cup resilience, place him high on that Olympus alongside the country’s other towering greats.
WHY ANGEL DI MARÍA
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Di María, affectionately known as Angelito or El Fideo, is defined by pivotal goals and moments. He delivered a precise touch against Nigeria at the 2008 Olympic Games, pierced defenses with a decisive strike at the Maracanã in the Copa América final, and continued to influence critical clashes in later years. The late-career chapters include the ongoing contributions that marked the Finalissima and the counterattack that decided a classic clash with France in Lusail. These moments form part of a broader redemption arc that matured through 2021 and beyond.
What often gets overlooked is the backstory from earlier seasons. There were painful setbacks in the World Cup journey in Brazil, including injuries and tough decisions that shaped his path. The temporary absence from the final against Germany, a sobering moment tied to clinical decisions about his fitness, added to the drama of his career. A minor muscle issue kept him out of the 2015 Copa América final against Chile and later affected the Copa América Centenario a year later. These chapters only sharpened his resolve.
Di María’s 2018 World Cup campaign produced a memorable goal against France in the round of 16, a moment many saw as potentially signaling the end of a cycle. When the team returned for Copa América 2019, the expectation to reclaim momentum persisted, and the leadership of coach Lionel Scaloni provided a pathway to change history again.
But giving up does not exist in the Rosario native’s vocabulary. While with Paris Saint-Germain he delivered a remarkable 2019-20 season despite the pandemic, and he earned another opportunity in October 2020 to help Argentina’s qualifiers. The Copa América 2021, where he agreed to come off the bench but later earned a place in the starting XI, is now part of a story that remains widely known.
Today Di María ranks as the fourth most-capped player for the Albiceleste, just behind Javier Zanetti and Javier Mascherano in the all-time list. He sits among the team’s prolific scorers with 29 goals, a tally that sits a few behind Gonzalo Higuaín and a handful behind Maradona. His trophy cabinet includes the U20 World Cup, an Olympic gold, the Copa América, the Finalissima, and the World Cup. His career mirrors the arc of Messi in terms of trophies, yet he has approached those milestones with a distinctive style, including appearances in finals at nearly every major stage even when the odds were daunting.
Yet a value beyond numbers defines his impact. The storytelling behind his career—the late-season flourishes, the resilience after injuries, and the moments when leadership emerged on the field—cements his status as a genuine icon. His latest form, without the inclusion of Lionel Messi, showcased his capacity to captain the side, deliver two assists, and demonstrate peak performance even as he approached the mid-thirties. If the talk of a historic podium remains, it is grounded in the belief that Di María has earned a credible place there, with room to ascend as his career continues.