Argentina forward Angel Di Maria has claimed that he wanted the No. 11 shirt at Manchester United but had to settle with No. 7 shirt.
The former Real Madrid man was handed the iconic jersey which was previously worn by the likes of Eric Cantona, David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo after his big-money transfer in the summer of 2014.
Di Maria was expected to shine for the Red Devils after his starring role with Madrid with then-manager Louis van Gaal being of the opinion that another talismanic performer had been found.
However, things didn’t go as planned as the winger spent just one season at Old Trafford after having a horrendous season in England and then moved to Paris Saint-Germain, with little return found on sizeable investment.
Di Maria failed to live up to the standards set by No. 7 that played for United before him, but the Argentine has now disclosed that he actually never wanted to wear the iconic number.
The 31-year-old told Ligue 1 that he didn’t choose the No.11 shirt at PSG before also disclosing that he never wanted the No. 7 shirt at Man Utd.
“I don’t really know. When I arrived, I saw that the No.11 was available,” Di Maria said.
“It’s a shirt number I wore a lot when I was younger and I was keen to get once again.
“At Real Madrid, No.11 was already taken, so I took 22. At Manchester United, they gave me No.7, I didn’t get a choice. I would have liked 11 but there we are. Here, I had a choice, so I chose 11!”
Since his arrival at PSG, Di Maria has gone on to appear in over 200 games for the Paris based club, collecting three Ligue 1 titles along the way, and admits to rediscovering his love for the game after a failed stint in England.
He added: “PSG is very important to me. They welcomed me with open arms in a period when I was finding it difficult in Manchester.
“I came here with ambition, and determination to succeed. Little by little, I showed that I was capable, that I could help the club achieve great things. I always do my best to help the club succeed.”
Di Maria has struck 80 goals Les Parisiens in 210 appearances, a significant contrast to his poor outing in England where he struck just four times in 32 outings.
At PSG, Di Maria has contributed a healthy number of assists to strikers such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
