Angel Di Maria completes his return to Benfica on a free from Juventus – 13 years after leaving for Real Madrid – with 35-year-old to be presented to fans tonight
- Angel Di Maria rejoins Benfica on a free transfer from Juventus after 13 years
- The 35-year-old kickstarted his European career with the Portuguese giants
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Angel Di Maria has returned to Benfica, who were his first club in Europe, on a free transfer.
The Argentine playmaker played for the Eagles between 2007 and 2010 after moving from Rosario Central in his homeland.
It comes after the 35-year-old spent a year with Juventus, who decided not to renew his expensive contract in June.
In a Twitter post confirming his return, the Portuguese outfit simply said: ‘Welcome back, Di Maria!’
Benfica will unveil the 2022 World Cup winner in a ceremony by the Eusebio statue outside their iconic Estadio da Luz in Lisbon tonight.
‘Welcome back, Di Maria’, read Benfica’s brief tweet as they celebrated his return to Portugal
Angel Di Maria made his name in Europe during his three-and-a-half year stint with Benfica
He returns after 13 glittering years and scored to help Argentina win the World Cup in 2022
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The club reclaimed the Primeira Liga title for the first time since 2019 last season and reached the Champions League quarter-finals.
That bodes well for their new signing, who previously won the league and two domestic cups in his first spell in Portugal.
Nicknamed El Fideo – ‘The Noodle’ – due to his slender frame, Di Maria departed Benfica in 2010 to join Real Madrid, where he became one of the world’s most lauded midfielders and won the Champions League and La Liga.
A move to Manchester United in 2014 for a then-British record £59.7million was widely recognised as a failure after disappointing performances, and after a year, he upped sticks and went to PSG, where he spent seven seasons.
It is there that the midfield wizard rebuilt his reputation, storming to 18 trophies in the French capital, including five Ligue 1 titles. In that time, he became the club’s all-time assist king and ninth-highest goalscorer.
He enjoyed four productive seasons at Real Madrid and won the Champions League
His time at Manchester United was miserable, scoring just four goals in the 2014/15 season
Seven years at PSG put him back on the map as a world-class playmaker, dribbler, and scorer
His spell at Juventus last term won’t live in the memory for long, but 2022 will always remain special to Di Maria because of a certain World Cup glory.
In Qatar, he scored the second goal in the final as La Albiceleste went on to win their third World Cup crown.
It topped off an illustrious international career, during which he has earned 132 caps.
He joins Benfica at an exciting time for the club, as they had already made progress in the transfer market this summer by adding ex-Feyenoord midfielder Orkun Kokcu, 22, to their ranks.
The move also sees him link up with Argentina team-mate Nicolas Otamendi.
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