A season on fire: how Ángel Di María lit up Paris
Last season, delivering his best form since joining Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentine attacker drove his side to the summit of Ligue 1 and an eighth league title. Whilst El Fideo represents his country in this summer’s Copa America tournament, we take a look back at his record breaking domestic season.
“It’s about winning titles. That is the most beautiful thing for everyone” declared Ángel Di María when talking with PSG TV at the start of the year, collective achievement is always at the forefront of his mind, yet Paris’ talismanic midfielder has gone from strength to strength in the number 11 shirt, shining under the Parc des Princes floodlights as one of the best performers in 2019.
The season started with a bang for the attacker despite an intense World Cup campaign in Russia. In August’s Super Cup against Monaco, Di María scored twice and was awarded the Man of the Match prize in a 4-0 victory. The league season began in the same fashion, with three assists and two goals in the first five matches.
In October against Amiens (see below), Ángel shone with two assists in a season defining performance which the Rouge et Bleu ran out 5-0 winners. At that point Thomas Tuchel’s side had won each of their 10 league games.
League success was accompanied by positive results in the UEFA Champions League. Paris Saint-Germain would finish top of their group in part thanks to Àngel's dramatic last minute equaliser against Napoli that kept alive the club’s hopes of group qualification. After victories against Liverpool and Red Star Belgrade concluded the group stage, Paris topped their group.
Photo credit: Copa90
After heartbreak in Europe against Manchester United, the Rouge et Bleu turned their focus to domestic matters and wrapped up a second consecutive league title in April after a string of key performances. Perhaps the stand out game for the whole campaign came against rivals Marseille in Le Classique. The #11 would later comment "I think it's one of the most important matches I've played since I arrived here.". In a 3-1 win at the Parc des Princes, 'El Fideo', as he's affectionately known, ran riot, scoring two of his side's three goals:
Across the campaign Di María has produced the kind of match-winning performances for which he became renowned for some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Benfica, Real Madrid and Manchester United all hosted the player from Rosario, the Argentine city that international teammate Leo Messi also calls home. It was at the Parc des Princes that Di María enjoyed his most prolific season. In his debut campaign the midfielder helped himself to 10 goals in 29 Ligue 1 games, his highest ever haul until 2018/2019. The Argentine attacker ended the campaign with 12 league goals and 19 in all competitions. Speaking with PSG TV, Ángel said:
"It was a fantastic season with 11 assists too, it's definitely my best since I arrived at the club. I need that confidence. I needed to show why I'd played for such big teams, why I still play at a big club like Paris Saint-Germain. That's also why I extended my contract by two years here. I want to win a lot of trophies, to continue loving playing football, and I can do that here."
It's clear for all to see that Angel is doing just that, playing with a smile on his face and bringing the same positivity he has since the day he arrived in the French capital. Back in Paris, the Rouge et Bleu fans have their fingers crossed for success for their South American Parisians including Di María's native Argentina. After a well deserved rest, the 31 year old will again turn his attention to the French league season, and the delivery of yet more titles to Paris!
Ángel sat down recently with Copa90 to take their Retro Games challenge! Find out if the midfielder is as good at 'Jenga' as he is at football!...