Angel Di Maria's always gone under the radar. Perhaps it's the nature of his personality: not overtly loud, not particularly charismatic. Perhaps it's his style of play: in an age where inverted wingers cutting in and shooting for goal are all the rage, Di Maria is mostly old school, usually focused on creating rather than scoring. Perhaps it's the company he keeps: with country, there was Lionel Messi and for many a year at club level, there was Cristiano Ronaldo, and later Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Understandable, perhaps, but very unfair... for Di Maria has always been a certified baller.
On Wednesday night, he put on a show that was a reminder of that base fact. Now 36 and plying his trade at Benfica (add another reason for going under the radar for most European football watchers), he was at his best against Monaco in the Champions League.
It took a stunning save from Monaco keeper Radoslaw Majecki in the 37th minute to keep him out, while a VAR intervention (and the tightest of offsides) robbed him off a superb assist in the 54th minute after he danced past the Monaco defense on the left side of the Monaco box and lifted a sensational ball into Alexander Bah's path in the six-yard box.
Come minute 84, though, he wasn't to be denied. Floating out wide to the left, he received the ball forty odd metres away from goal and squared up his marker. Vanderson gave him a bit of space, keeping it to ensure he could stick with him if Di Maria decided to go on one of his mazy dribbles. But there was no defending what came next. A couple of touches to get the ball out of his feet, and it was sent spinning into the Monaco box, where Arthur Cabral flew in to thunder home a header. It was a fantastic header, but the cross was something else. Coming from that angle, the whip it took for the ball to curl back onto Cabral's path was remarkable, as was the accuracy -- a bit further and the keeper grabs it, a bit closer and the centre-back heads it out.
Robertson picking out Gakpo perfectly ��
Two special deliveries from Di María ��Sensational crosses... which was the best? ��#UCLassists | @Lays_football pic.twitter.com/Uou1qZMGmS
- UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 27, 2024
In the 89th minute, he showed he could do it from the other flank too. Receiving the ball in space on the right, his body angled for the cross with his left, he took a touch and laser-guided the ball onto Zeki Amdouni's head for a late winner. The bend was perfect, a touch from Amdouni was all it needed.
It was a perfect encapsulation of what he once said in an interview with FourFourTwo: "Some wingers may be happy with dribbling past a few players but it's important to remember you're in the team to make chances for your team-mates. If you can make space for the forwards or play a pass for them to put them one-on-one with the goalkeeper, that's when you've really done your job. Fast wingers can beat defenders. The best wingers make goalscoring chances."
In an age when crossing is almost frowned upon in favour of more complicated patterns of play, and creation of on-ground chances, Di Maria had put on a crossing masterclass -- from both wings to boot. In the space of five minutes Monaco's 2-1 lead had been wiped out, and Benfica were flying back to Portugal as winners by the odd goal in five. And it was all thanks to a wizened old Argentine doing things the way he's always done it. Brilliantly.
With those two assists, Di Maria's back in familiar territory -- stuck between Ronaldo and Messi again. He's now second on the list of all-time assists provider in the CL with 41, one more than Messi, one less than Ronaldo. Going by what we have been seeing, it won't be long before top spot is his.
For that, for a reminder of his magic, for turning the tide of a tight CL match, Angel Di Maria takes our UCL Moment of the Week.