Christopher Martin “El Fideo,” “Angelito,” or, as he’s also known, Ángel Fabián Di María, is to return home to Rosario Central, the club where he began his football journey aged four in Argentina.
In a joint announcement on Instagram, Central and Di María teased, “Our story together has more pages to write.” He has not played for the club since leaving in 2007 for Portuguese team Benfica.
After signing for the red side of Lisbon, Di María played his entire career for some of European football’s elite clubs, with stints at Real Madrid in Spain, Manchester United in England, Paris Saint-Germain in France, and Juventus in Italy.
After leaving Turin, rumors built of a return to Argentina with Central, but he was tempted instead by two seasons back at Benfica. In spite of the lure of being portside in Rosario with family and friends close by, death threats made against his family — which included a pig’s head with a bullet — initially seemed to have dashed any hopes of reunion.
You may also be interested in: Ángel Di María: The Argentina legend who still loves football like a kid
Nicknamed “El Fideo” (The Noodle) because of his tall and slender spaghetti-like stature, his national-level triumph has been nothing short of spectacular as he has entered the twilight years of his career.
The Copa America 2021, played in Brazil behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saw Argentina lift the trophy for a fifteenth time. After the penalty-saving heroics of goalkeeper Emi “Dibu” Martinez in the semi-final, it was Di María who took the only goal of the final against famous archrivals Brazil — who until that point had never lost the tournament on home soil. It was also the first time Argentina had lifted a trophy since 1995, led for the first time by new head coach Lionel Scaloni.
At Qatar 2022, while the spotlight was on his superstar Rosario compatriot Lionel Messi over the possibility of his first World Cup trophy, it was Di María who stepped up first in the dramatic final against France. Four and a half years after scoring a spectacular goal in Argentina’s 4-3 flawed World Cup 2018 exit against the French in Russia, he latched onto a piercing counterattack from La Seleccion to send fans into raptures. The famous final culminated in an iconic victory, with scenes of jubilation across Argentina and around the world.
A final trophy emerged last year at the Copa America, where Argentina triumphed over Colombia. With his retirement following the tournament already confirmed, an emotional “Angelito” produced 117 hard-fought minutes for his team — tears hitting a generation of fans who have experienced the infinite highs (and occasional lows) of 16 years representing his country.
As his new club refers to writing pages, it’s clear that this move will not simply be a footnote on an already glittered career for both club and country. Di María’s new chapter at home in Rosario puts the spotlight on a city with a dynamic culture of theatre, music and football, but set against a dangerous backdrop of gang violence and narcotrafficing. It should be said that homicides, which Rosario had become notoriously infamous for in recent years, have fallen dramatically over the past year and a half.
“I said what I said because that has been my dream all along, playing again with Central and retiring wearing that jersey,” said Di María in an interview last year, when asked why he couldn’t return to Argentina to play domestically. “I feel bad for not being able to do it, but the threats against my family were too great, and my decisions are always based on their happiness and peace.”
Central’s rivalry with fellow rosarinos Newell’s Old Boys can become much noisier, spicier, and occasionally more violent than a súperclásico between Boca Juniors and River Plate in Buenos Aires. But as the spotlight rightly shines on Ángel Di María, it’s difficult not to see the irony if a twinkle can illuminate the temptations of a certain Lionel Messi to line up opposite his friend for a first Clásico Rosarino together.
