After the expiration of his contract with Juventus, Angel Di Maria had no shortage of offers, but he chose to return to Benfica, the team he played for from 2007 to 2010.
Several high-profile players had moved to Saudi Arabia this summer after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr earlier in the year, but Di Maria made a different decision.
He shared with D Sports Radio: “They called me from Saudi Arabia, I received a lot of calls from them. The figures they presented were crazy, but I followed my heart, I wanted to return to Benfica.”
During the past summer, many European stars moved to Saudi Arabia, including Benzema, Neymar, Sadio Mane, Kante, Ruben Neves, Koulibaly, Mendy, Firmino, and more. This is just the beginning, as the Arab clubs are not bound by financial regulations like UEFA. This means they have no salary limits and can attract the best players to the Middle East.
However, Di Maria’s decision to return to Portugal seems quite wise, as he scored in his debut match against Porto, helping Benfica win the Supertaca Candido de Oliveira. Later, Di Maria scored in matches against Boavista and Estrela.
In the early stages of his time with Benfica, Di Maria performed well and caught the attention of Real Madrid. He had four successful years at Bernabeu, winning the Champions League.
Following a short stint at Manchester United that didn’t go smoothly, Di Maria signed with Paris Saint-Germain, where he won five Ligue 1 titles.
Di Maria also had an impressive international career with Argentina. He was a key factor alongside Lionel Messi in winning the World Cup last year and the Copa America in 2021.
