Manchester United are on the verge of completing their move for Real Madrid’s Angel di Maria…
SEE ALSO: Angel di Maria Manchester United transfer moves step closer.
Manchester United are set to complete their move for Real Madrid’s Argentine winger Angel di Maria this week, with the World Cup star closing in on a record breaking move which could cost the Old Trafford side as much as £75m.
Here are ten things you need to know about Manchester United’s probable signing…
1) Ángel Fabián Di María Hernández was born to parents Miguel and Diana on Valentine’s Day in 1988. His first footballing experience came at the age of seven when he joined local side Rosario Central.
2) Di Maria signed a full-time contract with the club after graduating from their youth academy at the age of 17. He scored six goals in 35 games during a two-year spell, before leaving for Benfica.
3) Di Maria had plenty of footballing influences in his youth. His father was a decent footballer too, but his dream of becoming a River Plate player was shattered after he suffered a career-ending knee injured before he was due to make his debut. Angel idolised Kily González, the former Valancia and Inter winger, who earned 56 caps for Argentina.
4) Di Maria was given the nickname ‘Fideo’, which translates as the Noodle, on account of his skinny physique.
5) His move to Benfica in 2007, his first venture into Europe as a player, could have panned out very differently. Di Maria came close to joining Rubin Kazan, before eventually electing to move to Portugal. He won one league title and two league cup’s during his time with Benfica.
6) Di Maria is very keen on his tattoos. Before he left for Benfica, he and six childhood friends all had the same phrase inked on their left forearm: “To be born in El Perdriel was and will be the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life.”
7) But it’s at Real Madrid where Di Maria has shone. He has won six major trophies, including the Champions League, scoring 36 goals in 190 appearances. Since joining Madrid he’s moved on too 52 caps for his country, scoring ten times. His time with Argentine has also seen him win an Olympic Gold medal in 2008.
8) Real Madrid wanted to sell the winger last summer, when they splashed out a world-record £80 million for Gareth Bale, but Di Maria refused. His wife Jorgelina, who he married in 2011, had given birth to Mia three months prematurely and the baby was being kept in an intensive care unit at a Madrid hospital.
9) According to the Daily Telegraph, Di Maria is understood to have already spoken with Louis van Gaal about his role at Manchester United and the presence of United’s record signing could force the Dutchman to shift from his preferred 3-5-2 formation.
10) The source also expects Di Maria to be handed the iconic number seven shirt, worn by George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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