Depth aside, it’s hard to say why Real Madrid would want to sell Angel Di Maria. At least, that’s the take of teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos, as well as Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone.
Yesterday, Wednesday, La Marca reported that both Ronaldo and Ramos have gone to Madrid president Florentino Perez to ask him to keep Di Maria. Problem is, Di Maria is likely to be sold over the coming week with Manchester United rumored to be coming to the table with a bid upwards of $166 million. That’s a transaction that the overwhelming majority of Galacticos, as well as the fans who gave him a standing ovation upon being substituted onto the pitch during last night’s Spanish Super Cup, don’t want to see happen.
When cross-city rival manager Simeone was asked for his post-match thoughts on Di Maria, the Argentine manager sent the room of journalists into uproar. “He’s the best player they have,” Simeone deadpanned.
But what about Ronaldo, Bale and Rodriguez? The room quaked. “[Di Maria] is the player most likely to create openings in the opposition half,” Simeone responded.
When considering the quartet’s playmaking abilities as Di Maria finished last season with 22 assists – more than double Ronaldo’s total, ten more than James and six more than Bale – it’s a point that’s difficult to refute. The flip-side, of course, is that without Di Maria another Madrid player, likely Bale or James, will pick up the playmaking slack. And, considering Madrid’s sensational midfield depth with the likes of Luka Modric, Xabi Alonso, Toni Kroos, Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira, perhaps collecting $166m to target a new striker or simply impress the Financial Fair Play bosses, is the right move.
But good luck getting Los Madridistas to buy into it.
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