Argentina's legendary winger Angel Di Maria has taken retirement from International football after Monday's Copa América 2024 final. He has been one of the best players for Argentina of this generation. Di Maria was playing in his fifth Copa America tournament and won the title for the second time. He also helped Argentina win the World Cup in 2022 and the Copa America in 2021 and scored in the finals of both tournaments.
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Angel Di Maria's International Career, Stats and Records
Di Maria made his debut for the Argentina national team in 2008, at the age of 20. He played a key role for the Argentina team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as he scored the only goal in the final against Nigeria.
In the 2014 World Cup, Di Maria was one of the main men in the Argentina squad and played a pivotal role in Argentina's journey to the final. He scored the winning goal in the quarterfinal against Switzerland. However, he missed the final due to an injury and Argentina went on to lose the final 1-0 to Germany.
In the 2015 Copa America, Di Maria was named the Player of the Tournament, helping Argentina once again to reach the final. However, they lost to Chile on penalties. He scored a sensational goal against France in a 4–3 defeat which saw Argentina eliminated from the World Cup in the Round of 16 in 2018. Despite giving his best, he wasn't finishing at the winner's end.
Everything turned around under manager Lionel Scaloni. In the 2021 Copa America final, against Brazil, Di Maria scored the only goal of the game to win Argentina their first trophy since 1993. He won another trophy a year later, scoring Argentina’s second goal in a 3-0 victory over UEFA Euro 2020 Champions Italy in the 2022 Finalissima.
He also scored in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar against France. He was an integral part of Argentina. He also won his team a penalty and ultimately won the title with his nation. He started in the 2024 Copa America final against Colombia and La Albiceleste won by 1-0 at the end. Di Maria ended his International career with yet another major title.
Detailed Stats:
Total Appearances: 145
Total Goals: 31
Total Assists: 32
World Cup Appearances | Goals | Assists: 18-3-2
Copa America Appearances | Goals | Assists: 28-5-7
International Friendlies Appearances | Goals | Assists: 46-14-12
Angel Di Maria's best performances in the Major Finals
In 2008, during the Olympics in Beijing, Argentina faced Nigeria, aiming for their second gold medal in history. Lionel Messi's assist and Angel Di Maria scored the winner.
In the 2021 Copa America final, Di Maria became the hero by scoring the only goal against Brazil. He once again chipped the ball to score the winner. Argentina beat Brazil at the Maracana for the first time and lifted the trophy after 28 years of wait.
He also scored a goal in Argentina's 3-0 victory over Italy in the Finalissima 2022 at Wembley. It is the most important year in Angel Di Maria’s International career. Despite not playing most of the games in the World Cup 2022, he delivered in the final. Di Maria scored a goal and also won a penalty for the team. Argentina went on to lift the title after 36 years.
In the 2024 Copa America, he wasn't a regular starter but gave his best whenever got the opportunity. He started against Colombia in the Final and delivered a solid performance.
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Angel Di Maria's Awards and Achievements
- Olympic Games Gold Medal: 2008
- FIFA World Cup Champion: 2022
- Copa América Champion: 2021, 2024
- CONMEBOL – UEFA Cup of Champions (Finalissima): 2022
Individual Awards:
- Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2014
- FIFA FIFPro World11: 2014
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2014
- IFFHS CONMEBOL Team of the Decade 2011–2020