Angel Di Maria has shed light on why Lionel Messi’s absence from Argentina’s March camp could actually be a blessing in disguise.

The World Cup-winning Argentina captain had to withdraw from the national team for the international friendlies in March due to an injury sustained during Inter Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Nashville earlier this month.

Di Maria, who shares a close bond with Messi, has suggested that Messi’s injury could benefit Argentina, encouraging the squad to maintain composure as they prepare for their title defense at the 2024 Copa America later this year.

Speaking to D Sports, the Benfica star said: “Leo is always missed. Having the best in history, being able to train and play with him is the best. It’s a shame that this [injury] happened to him now, but we have to be calm. It’s better that it happened now and he is fine for the Copa America.”

Following their 3-0 victory against El Salvador in their friendly match, La Albiceleste will play Costa Rica on Tuesday. After that, Argentina will turn their attention to the Copa America in the US, where they are scheduled to begin their championship defense on June 20.

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According to ESPN Argentina, the winger may retire from international football after next year’s continental tournament.

He was in outstanding form at the World Cup in Qatar and a crucial part of the team that won the third world championship, ending a 36-year drought. He scored in the final match versus France and had a significant impact on the entire game.

Di Maria also scored in the 2021 Copa America final triumph against Brazil and again in the 2022 Finalissima win against Italy which has sealed his legacy in Albiceleste colours.

El Fideo should be regarded on par with people like Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, and Mario Kempes, in the opinion of Argentina’s first World Cup-winning manager Cesar Luis Menotti.

Since making his debut in 2008 against Paraguay in a World Cup qualifying match, Di Maria has accumulated 132 caps and scored 29 goals.

In their opening game of the 2026 World Cup qualifying season against Ecuador, the defending world champions will feature Di Maria in their lineup.

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Angel Di Maria has confirmed his intention to leave Juventus on June 6, 2023, following only one trophy-less season with the Italian giants.

Di Maria took to social media to express his gratitude to colleagues and supporters, as well as his disappointment at not being able to assist in bringing silverware to Turin. The 35-year-old’s one-year contract expires, making him a free agent.

Posting on Instagram, Di Maria said: “I arrive at the end of a difficult and complicated time. I go with the tranquility that I gave everything to help the club win trophies but it wasn’t to be. I go with a bitter taste of not being able to achieve it but with the happiness of making many friends in a marvellous dressing room. Goodbye to all the Juve fans for all the love you showed every day. I will carry you in my heart.”

 

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A post shared by Ángel Di María (@angeldimariajm)

Di Maria and Juventus both had a challenging season. The Old Lady lost 10 points, which eliminated them from the Champions League race. Additionally, they suffered heartbreaking losses in the Coppa Italia and Europa League semifinals, which hampered their chances of winning any trophies.

Despite a bright beginning at Turin, Di Maria’s season was derailed by injury, and he was unable to consistently have an influence on the field.

Di Maria, a free agent who has been linked to a return to Benfica, will weigh his alternatives. As the team tries to turn things around following two dismal seasons, Juventus faces a summer of significant decisions.

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The Argentine World Cup champion left Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 and signed a one-year contract with Juventus.

After a rough start in Serie A, in which he was dismissed in a loss to Monza for belligerent behavior, Di Maria’s performance significantly improved in the first few months of 2023.

By scoring a winner against Freiburg the following month and a hat trick against Nantes back in February, Di Maria would prove to be crucial in Juventus’ march to the UEFA Europa League semifinal.

Di Maria, though, has made 14 appearances since that goal without contributing a goal, and his performances in Juve’s semi-final matches against Sevilla have angered supporters.

According to reports, negotiations between Di Maria’s agents and Juve over a new one-year contract extension have stalled, and the forward is now expected to quit the organization.

MLS and Saudi Arabian teams are reportedly interested in the player’s talents as he becomes a free agency for the second consecutive summer, according to sources.

The club and Di Maria concur that parting ways at the conclusion of the season is the wisest course of action.

The 35-year-old has previously spent significant amounts of time at the European powerhouses Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the UEFA Champions League in 2014 while playing for Real Madrid.

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France boss Didier Deschamps claims he was compelled to substitute Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele in the 40th minute of the World Cup title game otherwise his side soon would have gone 3-0 down.

Argentina defeated France in a shootout in Qatar, with Lionel Messi finally winning the trophy that has eluded him for much of his impressive career.

The PSG playmaker opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Angel Di Maria doubled Argentina’s lead.

Argentina had opportunities to make it 3-0 before halftime, which undoubtedly would have ended the game, and the score accurately represented their supremacy.

Deschamps was incensed on the sidelines as his team put on their worst performance of the tournament with not a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

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Deschamps hooked Giroud and Dembele in the 40th minute to introduce Marcus Thuram and Kolo Muani rather than waiting until halftime.

Kylian Mbappe levelled the score with two goals in 90 seconds 10 minutes before the end of normal time even though it took France some time to get their aggressive game going. The substitutions stopped the flow of Argentina’s attempts.

Deschamps asserts that he has no regrets over his contentious selection, claiming that he had to remove Giroud and Dembele in order to keep the score low even if the two-time winners ultimately lost the game.

‘If we had been 3-0 down, we couldn’t have complained,’ said Deschamps. “We didn’t do the right things for an hour, but then with a lot of courage, energy and quality, we pushed Argentina to the limit.

‘If I made those changes so early, it’s because I was not satisfied and I felt convinced we could do better. That doesn’t mean the players who went off were more guilty than the others.’

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Argentina will face Croatia in a World Cup semi-final on Tuesday evening, pitting the competition’s past two silver medalists against each other.

When Croatia and Argentina square off in Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal at Lusail Iconic Stadium, they will be looking to go to back-to-back finals after sending one South American powerhouse home from the tournament.

When selecting his starting lineup for Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final match against Croatia, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni faces many choices.

A few hours before La Albiceleste defeated the Netherlands from 12 yards, Zlatko Dalic’s team eliminated Brazil on penalties to settle tense quarterfinal matches.

A late equalizer forced the quarterfinals, which were physically and emotionally taxing for both teams, to go to penalties.

In contrast to their rivals from South America, Brazil, Argentina was able to bounce back from the surprise of a quick-fire Dutch double to win on penalties. Croatia defeated the Selecao in five straight shootouts to maintain their perfect record.

This matchup pits two camps that have mastered the art of using even the smallest hint of criticism—regardless of how innocent it may seem to an outsider—to energize their teams in this competition.

• Team News:

Mateu Lahoz, a card-happy referee, won’t be making friends with the Argentina and Netherlands teams any time soon, especially since two of his 17 cards were given to full-backs for the Albiceleste, Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna, who are now suspended for the semi-final after receiving two of them each.

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Fortunately, Scaloni did not see any players suffer injuries during the 120-minute quarterfinal. Montiel was unlikely to push Molina for the right-back position, while Acuna will hand left-back duties over to Nicolas Tagliafico as he sits on the naughty step.

Alejandro Gomez is accelerating his recovery from an ankle strain in an effort to be available, and Rodrigo De Paul and Angel Di Maria, who have both been dealing with personal issues, anticipate starting the semi-final healthy.

Scaloni opted to match the Netherlands‘ setup with a five-man backline – bringing Lisandro Martinez back in from the cold – but a switch to a four-man defence could see the Manchester United man now cede his place to the fit-again Di Maria.

With regard to Croatia, Dalic was fortunate to have a totally healthy team for the quarterfinal victory against Brazil, and now that Borna Sosa and Mislav Orsic have both recovered from their individual illnesses, he should be able to train with all of his players on Tuesday.

Dalic introduced Mario Pasalic from the opening whistle against Brazil despite his team’s well-documented goal-scoring woes, and the Atalanta BC player may be confident in keeping his position on the right wing.

After Petkovic’s thrilling equalizer in the quarterfinals, Andrej Kramaric might be worried about keeping his spot at the front of the attack, but the Hoffenheim player has started every game in Qatar thus far and will probably keep it from the get-go.

• Possible Lineup:

Argentina’s possible starting lineup:
E. Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister; Di Maria, Messi, Alvarez

Croatia’s possible starting lineup:
Livakovic; Juranovic, Gvardiol, Lovren, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic

• Score prediction:

Prediction: Argentina 1-1 Croatia (Penalty will decide the winner)

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Argentina have announced their squad numbers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

There are several parallels between Argentina’s squad numbers and those from the 2018 World Cup. Only three of the five Russian players—Nicolas Tagliafico, Marcos Acuna, and Lionel Messi—have retained their original jersey numbers. Paulo Dybala and Angel Di Maria make up the other two.

Argentina will be expected to advance a bit farther this time around, creating iconic squad numbers in the process after a fairly poor performance in Russia that saw them eliminated by eventual victors France in the round of 16.

Messi, Martinez, and more have Argentina uniform numbers. The final team includes three goalkeepers, who will wear Nos. 1, 12, and 23 respectively.

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Mpbullet brings you the full list of Argentina squad numbers for the tournament below…

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Argentina’s official 26-man squad for Qatar has been confirmed and released, and they will be aiming for a successful campaign this time as Messi leads the squad.

On the 11th of November 2022, Coach Lionel Scaloni announced his squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup which includes Di Maria & Paulo Dybala in the team despite being not fully fit.

On November 14, Argentina was supposed to announce their World Cup team. However, Lionel Scaloni has already chosen the guy who will represent Argentina at their third World Cup in Qatar.

During the 2014 World Cup, Argentina came within one goal of winning the coveted championship, but Mario Gotze’s goal in extra time ended their hopes. On the other side, since Lionel Scaloni took over as head coach of the national team, Argentina has developed a sense of unity and drive.

They won the Finalissima trophy in 2022 and their first-ever Copa America under his leadership in 2021. They are currently viewed as contenders to win the trophy in Qatar.

Furthermore, Lionel Messi’s final World Cup may very well be this one. giving him another chance to join the late Diego Maradona in cementing his position as the greatest player of all time.

Argentina had a drab World Cup in 2018, battling their way beyond the round of 16 before being defeated 3–4 by France. Fans expect this potent team to rule the world, and many people are rooting for the 35-year-old to win the trophy in Qatar.

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Argentina are in a tricky group involving Robert Lewandowski, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. The South American powerhouses will play an exhibition match against the UAE before travelling to Qatar to face Saudi Arabia on November 22.

• Scaloni selected Argentina’s 26-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Asotn Villa) Geronimo Rulli (Villarreal), Franco Armani (River Plate).

Defenders: Nahule Molina (Atlético Madrid), Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Marcos Acuna (Sevilla), Nicolas Tagliafico (Lyon), Juan Foyth (Villarreal).

Midfielders: Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Leandro Paredes (Juventus), Alexis mac Allister (Brighton), Guido Rodriguez (Real Betis), Alejandro Gomez (Sevilla), Enzo Fernandez (Benfica), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen).

Forwards: Angel di Maria (Juventus), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan), Juilan Alvarez (Manchester City), Nicolas Gonazales (Fiorentina), Joaquin Correa (Inter Milan), Paulo Dybala (AS Roma), Lionel Messi (PSG).

OFFICIAL:

ARGENTINA SQUAD 🚨 pic.twitter.com/iRWX9W1XZV

— BD Albiceleste 🇧🇩💙🇦🇷 (@bd_albiceleste) November 11, 2022

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The top scorers and assists in the UEFA Champions League group stage thus far are listed below following the conclusion of the match-day three matches on Wednesday night.

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is currently the leading scorer in the UEFA Champions League for the 2022/2023 season.

The Norwegian striker netted a brace for Man City as they defeated Copenhagen 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Behind Haaland is Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane, who currently has four goals to his name.

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See the list below:

• Champions League scorers with the most goals so far:

5 goals – Erling Haaland (Man City)
4 goals – Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich)
3 goals – Jude Bellingham (Dortmund), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax) Kylian Mbappé (PSG), Noah Okafor (Salzburg), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Piotr Zieliński (Napoli).

• So far in the 2022–23 Champions League, the most assists have been:

4 assists – João Cancelo (Man City)
3 assists – Ángel Di María (Juventus), André-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Napoli)

The fourth matchday of the Champions League group stage will start the following week.

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