Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel di Maria has accused Manchester United of making him wear their legendary No 7 jersey during his disastrous spell at the club. Former United players such as Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and Cristiano Ronaldo have all worn the shirt number and excelled before Di Maria’s ill-fated stint at Old Trafford.
The Argentine moved to Old Trafford from Real Madrid in August 2014 in a then club-record £59.7million transfer. He, however, spent just one season at United before leaving for PSG in a £44.3m deal in August 2015.
Speaking to Ligue 1 about what happened four and a half years ago, Di Maria said when he moved to Old Trafford he wanted the No 11 shirt but he was pressured into taking the No 7. He said the club told him that the jersey number he wanted was already taken by Adnan Januzaj.
When asked why he took the Number 11 shirt with the French giants, he said: “I don’t really know. When I arrived, I saw that the No 11 was available.
“It’s a shirt number I wore a lot when I was younger and I was keen to get once again.
“At Real Madrid, No 11 was already taken, so I took 22. At Manchester United they gave me No 7, I didn’t get a choice. I would have liked 11 but there we are. Here, I had a choice, so I chose 11!”
Speaking on his time in the French capital, where he has won nine major honours, the midfielder said he is grateful for the club for welcoming him with open arms during a difficult time in his career.
He also appreciated the club for helping him rediscover his passion for football and happy that the club gave him the number 11 jersey he wanted.
The 31-year-old said: “PSG is very important to me. They welcomed me with open arms in a period when I was finding it difficult in Manchester.
“I came here with ambition, and determination to succeed. Little by little, I showed that I was capable, that I could help the club achieve great things. I always do my best to help the club succeed.’
