da aviator aposta： Real Madrid signed some more world class talent in the last transfer window, in the form of James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos. Along with having Bale and Ronaldo, Madrid ran out of space for one of their best performers.
da doce： Angel Di Maria was snapped up by Manchester United for just shy of £60m – a huge fee, but a proven talent who is still only 26-years-old. Di Maria’s time at Real Madrid was good enough for the player to make the 2014 Balon D’or 23-man shortlist that has just been released.
Once again, Madrid are hardly going to notice Di Maria’s absence if the shortlist is anything to go by. The 10-time Champions League winners have 6 current players on the shortlist (Kroos, Rodriguez, Bale, Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Ronaldo), including the most probable winner in Cristiano Ronaldo.
Still, Man United’s squad is nowhere near as strong as Madrid’s and they’ve certainly gained from that fact. Di Maria has got off to a flying start at Old Trafford and for a man without a particularly strong scoring record at any of his previous clubs, he’s certainly found his scoring touch.
We all know by now that this most certainly isn’t Man United’s strongest squad, yet we are also aware how good they are offensively. Rooney, Falcao, and Van Persie have all been outscored by Di Maria thus far, not bad considering he’s also their leader in the assist charts also. Not only is he supplying the strikers but he’s taking some chances for himself. Perfect wing play.
Cristiano Ronaldo, George Best, Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson, David Beckham – some big Man United ‘legends’. All have worn the now famous number seven shirt. So who’s the latest wearer of the number seven? Di Maria of course. After a few years on from Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia, the number seven is back on a key player at Old Trafford, and Di Maria is United’s current best player.
Every time I watch the ‘new’ Man United, Di Maria stands out as a class above the rest. His talent is beyond everyone else’s currently at the club. It may not be the accolade now as it once was, but there is still many top players at the club. Angel is confident, quick, and clinical – attributes which are very much needed at Old Trafford right now.
The Argentine winger believes in himself and his ability. Many professional footballers have that mentality but not all have the ability to back it up. The tricky 26-year-old has the ability and the belief – as did all the previous number seven legends.
It’s rare in football to find a player with such a high level of ability, who is willing to work as part of the team. Di Maria is certainly a rare find and although he was incredibly expensive, he is the talisman who is going to bring the good days back to Old Trafford.
He is in a class of his own despite playing alongside some top Premier League and world class strikers – a bargain at £60m.
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