Angel Di Maria has called out the former boss at Manchester United, Louis Van Gaal, labelling him as ‘the worst coach he has ever had.’
The 2022 World Cup winner and former Argentina international had a glittering career that has seen him play for some of the biggest clubs in European football. He has also worked under some of the greatest managers the game has ever seen.
Angel Di Maria left a good mark in nearly all the teams he has played. Manchester United was noticeably the only team he struggled significantly at.
He has repeatedly blamed Van Gaal, who was in charge at Old Trafford from July 2014 to May 2016, for his failure to find the spark that made him indispensable in most teams he played for.
Speaking earlier with ESPN, Di Maria said, ”The worst [manager] is Van Gaal, you can be sure of that. In case you had any doubt, I’ll clear that up for you right now.”
Angel Di Maria blast Luis van Gaal on his Netflix documentary
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Holding a replica of the World Cup trophy, he recalled: ”Louis van Gaal is the worst coach I’ve ever had and I will never get tired of saying that. We beat them with penalties even though he said we wouldn’t, because he knew everything. He ended up shoving his words in his… well, let’s just say he ate his words, to keep it polite.”
Di Maria was part of the Argentina 2022 World Cup starting IX that defeated Van Gaal’s Netherlands team in a dramatic quarter-final tie via penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw. To the Argentine, it was a vengeful win against a manager who gave him a tough time at one of his clubs – Manchester United.
Di Maria’s stint with Manchester United
Di Maria arrived at Manchester United on 26 August 2014 on a five-year contract from Real Madrid for a fee of £59.7m. He was the most expensive signing by a British club at that time and was handed Manchester United’s iconic number 7 shirt which was donned by legends such as George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Four days after joining the Old Trafford club, he made his English top-flight debut in Manchester United’s 0-0 draw against Burnley.
Meanwhile, it was a promising start to his United career. He won the Manchester United Player of the Month award for September after recording two goals and two assists in his first four matches for the club.
However, his strong start to the season would be interrupted by a run of bad form that saw the attacker relegated to the bench. He ended his time at Manchester United without a trophy and was labelled as the worst signing of the season.
Speaking while at PSG, Di Maria blamed Louis van Gaal for his Manchester United deadlock. According to him, the Dutchman did little to help his career at United and is one of the reasons he left for PSG.
“Honestly, we were not happy. At the beginning, we were a little. But then things became complicated and the manager (Luis van Gaal) didn’t help at all.”
Di Maria has been the one pushing the narrative of Luis van Gaal’s role in his underwhelming spell at Manchester United after he left the club.
What happened between Di Maria and Luis van Gaal?
While it is unclear what transpired between the pair, Van Gaal had only commented once on the saga during the 2022 World Cup. The Dutchman described Di Maria as a good player only that he had ”personal issues.”
Di Maria left Manchester United for PSG after a disappointing spell with the club. He was thrust into the spotlight during his spell with Real Madrid.
The Argentine enjoyed arguably his best form and career achievements at Real Madrid, putting up countless big game performances that saw him win several individual and collective trophies, even earning himself a Ballon d’Or nomination.
He called an end to his time at Real Madrid after four years, moving to Manchester United, where he endured the torrid time in his career. From United, he moved to France and signed with country giant Paris Saint-German – a move that saw him revive his career.
After six years at Paris Saint-German, Di Maria moved to Turin to join Italian giants Juventus. Although there were sparks of good moments with the team, he never quite endeared himself to the Bianconeris as he had done in his previous clubs. He left the Turin-based club after one year in Portugal to join his current club, Benfica.
