The long-awaited moment has finally arrived for Rosario Central fans . Eighteen years after leaving his youth club, Ángel Di María was officially presented in the Centenario Hall, to applause and tears. In front of the press and fans, the Argentine winger did not hide his emotion: " It's more than anything I've ever done. Coming home, living in Rosario and wearing the Central shirt, it's very special ," he said, overcome with emotion. " A ball is better, it's much easier ," he breathed, smiling shyly, upon arriving for his first press conference with his new club on Monday, July 7.
The man who launched his professional career in 2005 at Rosario Central has finally come full circle. Having left for Europe in 2007 to join Benfica , Ángel Di María went on to build one of the finest records in modern Argentinian football: Champions League with Real Madrid , national titles with Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. In 2023, after a first European break of 16 years, he returned to Benfica , where he played 92 matches and scored 36 goals in two seasons (2023 to 2025). But it was ultimately to Rosario, his favorite club, that he chose to return at the age of 36, to write the final chapter of an extraordinary career.
Lionel Messi's advice
Di María's return to Rosario did not leave Lionel Messi, his friend and long-time teammate in the national team, indifferent. The number 10 sent him a touching message in the days before his return: " Leo wrote to me recently. He waited a bit because my phone was blowing up, but he congratulated me, wished me luck and told me he was happy that I was able to achieve my dream ," said the striker. " Di María returned to Rosario Central to retire in the colors he loves. In his first contact with the public, he proved that he is the same player who left to try his luck in Europe 18 years ago. He has broken through a new barrier, but he still has dreams to achieve, " wrote the Argentine daily La Nación , highlighting the intensity of the moment. But the world champion knows: the adventure will not be easy. " He must now prepare for a reality different from the one he experienced in Europe, and even from the experience he had playing with the national team in Argentina ," continues La Nación .
Aware of the expectations and fervor of Argentine football, Di María himself acknowledged in a press conference that the welcome would not always be warm: " Boca already made me feel it during the Club World Cup ," he said humorously. Di María is indeed aware of the challenges that await him in Argentine football, much tougher than Europe or even the national team: " I know how it's played, how it's experienced here. Wearing the Central jersey is not trivial. Today, I no longer wear the Argentina jersey and I know that I won't be well received everywhere ," he confided lucidly. He notably joked about the whistles Boca received at the Club World Cup.
One last tango in Rosario
Rosario Central, first in the opening tournament, is now aiming higher with the return of its prodigal son. Di María is fully committed, as he confirmed: " We have been talking with Holan (current coach of Rosario Central, editor's note) for a month. My dream is to be champion. Central always pushes you to the maximum. We only have the championship ahead of us and we will give it our all ." For the newspaper La Nación , the striker has " returned to Rosario Central to retire in the colors he loves ." But before that, he has one last wall to overcome: to offer a title to an entire nation.
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