ANGEL DI MARIA broke down in tears and tore up a letter from Real Madrid trying to stop him playing in the 2014 World Cup while injured.
The PSG ace revealed the emotional turmoil he went through after the La Liga giants forced Argentina not to play him in the World Cup final against Germany.
Real Madrid forced Angel Di Maria to miss out of the 2014 World Cup final
Di Maria, 32, had picked up a minor thigh muscle tear in the quarter-final against Belgium in Brazil, which ruled him out of the semi-final win over Holland.
Madrid wanted to flog the Argentine midfielder in the summer and did not want to ruin a potential sale if his thigh injury was aggravated further in the final.
The 32-year-old has revealed Real sent Argentina’s management a letter demanding he did not play and Di Maria says he was left in pieces at the thought of missing out on the biggest game of his life.
After missing the semi-final victory over Holland, Di Maria ended up as an unused substitute as his side suffered the agony of an extra-time defeat to Germany in the final.
In an interview with Telefe, the 32-year-old said: “The only three who know the truth are doctor Daniel Martinez, (coach) Alejandro Sabella and me.
“I had a tear in the game against Belgium, I was at about 90 per cent. The leg wasn’t totally right but I wanted to play and I didn’t care at all if I never played football again.
“It was one of the things I was told could happen, but for me it was the World Cup final, it was my final.
“I knew (Real Madrid) wanted to sell me, and so the letter arrived. Daniel told me it was from Real Madrid, but I didn’t even want to look at it and I tore it up.
“I went to talk to Alejandro and I told him, crying, that I wasn’t at 100 per cent. I knew he loved me and that he wanted me to play, but he sought the best for the team.
“I was going to have an injection. I wanted to try but after the meeting he decided to play Enzo Perez in my place.”
Manchester United agreed a then-club record transfer of £60m with Real for the Argentine ace two months after the World Cup.
And after just one miserable season, United cut their losses and sold him to PSG for £44m – with Di Maria blossoming again.
He apparently has no positive memories at Old Trafford and hit out at then boss Louis van Gaal in the past for playing him out of position.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
