The news that is beginning to sound among football fans is that there is a new superstar on the block. Maybe he doesn’t have the commercial appeal or can’t sell as many jerseys as James Rodriguez or Cristiano Ronaldo, but in terms of overall skill, he’s the best player in the world.

His name is Ángel Di María and he hails from the same city as Lionel Messi in Rosario, Argentina.

He was previously overshadowed by the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Falcao. In 2013 he wasn’t even named among the top 23 players in the running for FIFA World Player of the Year, while lesser players like Hazard, Cavani and Pirlo were on the shortlist. He was passed over not because he didn’t deserve to be nominated, but because the award is more of a personality contest than merit.

However, today we are comparing him to the best players. But there is a big difference and it is that he is more creative, more versatile, he has more passing capacity and more rhythm than all of them.

Regarding his creativity, in the 2013-14 season he gave 22 assists (more than Messi or Ronaldo) and was the top assist in the League. He created 90 chances playing as a central midfielder instead of his usual role as a winger. In the recent friendly against world champions Germany, he opened up his defense from wide positions to score a goal and set up three other goals.

He is more versatile and has a higher work rate than Messi and Ronaldo. This is why he is called the “resistance beast”, as he can play in offensive positions, but often drops back to help the defense (unlike Messi and Ronaldo). He plays on the left or right flanks as a midfielder, as an attacking central midfielder and playmaker or as a supporting striker.

His passing ability sets him apart from all other players. He sees space, has a quick eye for a killer pass and can deliver a pass with pinpoint accuracy.

He has pace over long distances and has explosive acceleration. One can remember his 90 yard run to set up Ronaldo against Fiorentina in 2014 and in the Champions League final he zigzagged past 3 players, took a shot that bounced off the keeper which Gareth Bale finished off for give Real Madrid the advantage. trophy. His solo career changed the face of the game and, unsurprisingly, he was named man of the match. Then the experts suddenly started taking notice of him.

His success continued at the 2014 World Cup and in the round of 16 he scored the only goal of the game against Switzerland after running to reach the end of a Messi pass that was pure class. Throughout the tournament he had more shots on goal than Messi and although he played almost 300 fewer minutes he only had one less solo run in the area than Messi, who won the Ballon d’Or as best player. Unfortunately, he missed the last game against Germany with injury, which makes one wonder what it could have been.

After the World Cup he asked his club Real Madrid to pay him as one of their best players but they refused and later sold him for nearly $100 million to Manchester United which is the fifth most expensive transfer of all the times and the highest rate paid. by a British club.

After a slow start to Manchester United’s new season, Di María in his opening game against Queens Park Rangers scored his first goal with a stunning free kick that floated over the line of defensive players and rebounded inside the far post and Manchester United United claimed their first win under new manager Louis Van Gaal.

With the addition of Argentina to the Manchester United team, they have returned to winning ways, so it is not surprising that they were willing to pay so much for him.

Given his success at the end of last season, his performance at the World Cup and his impressive start to the new season for club and country, it will be difficult for FIFA to exclude Di María from Player of the Year in 2014.

Victor A. Dixon
September 21, 2014