He was the man of the match when Real Madrid claimed “La Decima” over arch-rivals Atletico Madrid. With him, Los Merengues won two Copa del Rey titles, one Supercopa de Espana, the 2011-12 La Liga title, and the 2014 UEFA Super Cup. Yet, Argentine international Angel Di Maria said he was forced out of Madrid in order to cover costs.
"I didn't leave for money," Di Maria told reporters after PSG's defeat on Tuesday night. "I wanted to see if I could renew and they didn't want me to. They wanted to cover the costs of the great players they had signed that summer.
"I had to leave by the back door. It wasn't how I would have wanted."
The winger had an amazing four-year spell with Madrid. Di Maria tallied 190 appearances for the club, in which he scored 36 goals and dished 87 assists.
Nonetheless, he had to leave the Spanish capital in 2014 after being transferred to Manchester United for a British-record £59.7m.
He said his departure served to cover for the big-money signings Madrid made that summer. The two largest fees paid by the club were for the signatures of James Rodriguez and Tony Kroos.
Despite the hefty price they paid for him, Louis van Gaal and Manchester United did not get their money's worth with Di Maria on the pitch.
I wanted to stay at Real Madrid - Di Maria https://t.co/8WxvKYBc1V pic.twitter.com/sHxjKjrQ8L
— Goal (@goal_intl) October 29, 2015Angel Di Maria's New Home In Paris
The Argentine failed to perform for the Red Devils and was sold to Paris Saint-Germain after only one season in the Old Trafford. During his stay in Manchester, Di Maria played 32 games, scoring four goals and handing out 12 assists.
The reigning Ligue 1 champions paid £44.3m for Di Maria’s services and so far have got the response they wanted from the player. Di Maria has scored four goals and tallied three assists in just 12 games under Laurent Blanc.
The Argentinian international has adapted well to playing next to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani. Di Maria’s addition has improved PSG’s firepower and caused this new Di Maria-Ibrahimovic-Cavani trio to rival the other star-studded attacking trios in world football today. The PSG attacking trio has a total of 20 goals in the 2015-16 season.
Barcelona’s MSN Trident has a total of 29 goals under their belt, even with Lionel Messi sidelined because of an injury. In Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo is carrying the load with 13 goals, but when we add up Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to the equation, the Madrid trio has a total of 22 goals this season.
After their 1-0 loss to Madrid in the Bernabeu, Di Maria also enforced that he is happy in his new home and is looking to stay there for many years.
"I am changing little by little," he said. "I'm happy in Paris and I hope to be for many years."
