Juventus veteran Angel Di Maria played a prominent role in helping Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar en route to cementing his place in the history books. The 34-year-old winger made a flattering personal milestone at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in the process.
After scoring the winning goal to propel Argentina past Brazil in last summer’s Copa America showpiece, Di Maria was on the scoresheet against France yesterday. Despite missing a couple of games in Qatar due to physical problems, the former Paris Saint-Germain superstar timed his return to fitness to perfection.
Lionel Scaloni was sweating over his first-choice winger’s availability until the final moments but eventually decided to include him in the starting lineup. His gamble paid off massively as Di Maria first drew a spot-kick – Lionel Messi scored from the resulting penalty – before firing Argentina into a two-goal cushion at halftime.
Di Maria’s spectacular performance against Les Bleus may have been overshadowed by Messi and Kylian Mbappe, yet his contribution to Argentina’s cause was immense. The Juventus man also achieved an eye-catching personal feat, previously reached by only Ronaldo ‘Il Fenomeno‘ himself.
The two are the only players in history to have scored in the World Cup and Copa America finals. Ronaldo famously bagged a brace to inspire Brazil to a 2-0 victory over Germany in the 2002 World Cup title decider, having helped them to win back-to-back Copa America tournaments in 1997 and 1999, scoring in each final.
Di Maria is now on a pair with one of the best-ever football players, which may further boost his confidence ahead of a Serie A return. The Argentine has grown into an influential first-team member at Juventus since joining the club as a free agent in the summer.
His brilliance could prove crucial to helping Massimiliano Allegri re-establish the Bianconeri as genuine top-four contenders in the remainder of the season.