ANGEL DI MARIA’S dream return to boyhood club Rosario Central was scuppered after he received serious death threats.
The 36-year-old retired from international football earlier this month following Argentina’s Copa América triumph.
He announced his intention to join Rosario in March, but his plans have since changed due to a series of threats.
According to ESPNHe was recently sent a pig’s head with a bullet lodged in its forehead.
Di Maria’s sister and her family also received a package that included a written death threat against her daughter.
And local reports claim a sign addressed to the former Manchester United star’s family was left outside his private neighborhood.
It suggested that not even provincial governor Maximiliano Pullaro could guarantee the safety of his family if he returned to Rosario.
Di Maria claims such acts were used as tactics to dissuade him from returning to his boyhood club, 17 years after his initial departure.
He told Canal 3 de Rosario: “There was a threat in my parents’ neighborhood that became public and at the same time another on my sister’s property that didn’t come to light because my sister and brother-in-law were scared and didn’t report it.”
The World Cup winner revealed he was forced to abandon hopes of returning to the Estadio Gigante de Arroyito because the tactic “nullified” everything else.
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He continued: “Those months were horrible. We could only sit and cry every night about not being able to achieve that dream.”
Despite the threats he suffered, Di Maria received criticism after turning down the chance to return to Rosário.
The midfielder added: “Anyone who doesn’t understand won’t put themselves in my shoes for a second.
“Because it’s easy to mistreat others on social media without putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.”
Di Maria left Benfica earlier this year after spending the 2023-24 campaign in Portugal.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
