Rosario Central At age four, Di María joined
Rosario Central. As he had already committed to playing for his local club, Torito, 35 footballs were given in compensation. He scored for the first time on 24 November 2006 in the following season's Apertura in a 4–2 win at home over
Quilmes, a minute after replacing
Leonardo Borzani at half-time. After playing at the
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada,
Boca Juniors made a bid of
US$6.5 million for him. He was also approached by English club
Arsenal, a move that fell through due to the United Kingdom's strict rules on issuing work permits to players from outside the
European Union.
Benfica in 2007 Di María was transferred to the Portuguese side Benfica in July 2007, where he played as a winger. He was signed as a replacement for Benfica's departing captain,
Simão, who joined
Atlético Madrid earlier that summer. Later, in August 2008, the Portuguese club paid an extra €2 million for the remaining 20%, but re-sold 10% to
GestiFute. Di María had his breakthrough in the 2009–10 season thanks to the trust placed in him by manager
Jorge Jesus. On 22 October, in the
Europa League group stage match against
Everton, he provided a hat-trick of assists for the first time in his career, in a 5–0 thrashing at the
Estádio da Luz, marking the biggest loss of an English side in a European competition. During that month, Di María signed a new deal with Benfica, adding three more years to his current deal, which was to last until 30 June 2015 with his release fee set at a minimum of €40 million. Afterwards, he was backed by
Diego Maradona to become "Argentina's next superstar". He would score a brace in Benfica's 2–1 home win over
AEK Athens, to ensure Benfica's qualification to the round of thirty-two, as group winners. On 27 February 2010, Di María scored his first hat-trick in a classic 4–0 win against
Leixões. The next day, he made the headlines as "Magic Tri María" in all sports newspapers in Portugal. He finished as the league's top assister that season with 11 assists, including two in a 5–0 win against
Olhanense, as Benfica won the national championship, adding
the year's
domestic League Cup, while being named Player of the Month in April.
Real Madrid 2010–11: Debut season On 28 June 2010,
Real Madrid posted on their website that they had agreed with
Benfica for the transfer of Di María. He signed a five-year contract for €25 million, plus €11 million in incentives, as announced one day later by the Portuguese Stock Exchange regulating entity. On 7 July 2010, Di María arrived to
Madrid directly from
Buenos Aires, and passed the medical test on 8 July. He made his debut on 4 August 2010 in a friendly match against Mexican side
América, which Real Madrid won 3–2. On 22 August, Di María scored his first goal in another friendly away against
Hércules, which Real Madrid won 3–1. In the last match of the pre-season, on 24 August, after an individual play described as a "magic moment", he opened the score of the 2–0 win against
Peñarol for the
Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu. defenders
Michael Dawson and
Benoît Assou-Ekotto in the
Champions League in April 2011 His
league debut came on 29 August in a 0–0 draw against
Mallorca. On 18 September, Di María scored his first league goal for Real Madrid in their 2–1 away win over
Real Sociedad. Ten days later, he scored his first goal in the
UEFA Champions League against
Auxerre in a 1–0 victory. He scored a controversial first goal against
Sevilla on 19 December. Days later, Di María assisted
Karim Benzema's two goals and
Cristiano Ronaldo's goal in an astonishing 8–0 drubbing of
Levante on 22 December. In the second leg of the
Champions League round of 16 against
Lyon, he scored the third and final goal in a 3–0 win to send Real Madrid through to the quarter-finals for the first time in seven years. Di María scored Real Madrid's third goal during their first-leg
Champions League quarter-final victory over
Tottenham Hotspur on 5 April 2011. On 20 April, he was sent off in the 31st minute of extra time in
the Copa del Rey final against rival
Barcelona. Real Madrid won the match 1–0, the lone goal of the match (in the 13th minute of extra time) being a header from Cristiano Ronaldo, which came from his cross, thus obtaining his first honour with Real Madrid.
2011–12: La Liga win During the start of the
2011–12 season, Di María endured a tough series of matches as he struggled to adapt to the pace of the league following the summer break. As a result, Di María's early performance for the season was mixed with moments of genuinely good play interspersed with moments of sheer madness by the Argentine. This point was well illustrated during Real Madrid's 1–0 defeat to Levante, a match which saw a clearly out-of-sorts Di María commit a horror foul on Levante's
Juanfran during the match. Di María caused the two teams to clash and an on-field incident ensued. However, Di María's performances would improve, including opening up a significant gap at the top of the assists table. From October 2011, Di María was being picked by Madrid head coach
José Mourinho ahead of
Kaká and
Mesut Özil, a sign of his improving form. On 27 November 2011, Di María played 60 minutes in a league match against city rivals
Atlético Madrid, in which he scored a goal for Real Madrid. Mourinho's team won the match 4–1. On 3 December 2011, Di María scored Real's first goal from a sharp angle in a 3–0 defeat of
Sporting de Gijón in La Liga. He was a constant threat and presence in the starting XI as Real Madrid won their 32nd league title, playing in their 3–0 win over
Athletic Bilbao that clinched the league title.
2012–14: La Décima and Copa del Rey title in April 2011 Di María scored his first goal of the season against Barcelona in the first leg of the
2012 Supercopa de España at
Camp Nou after a mistake by Barcelona goalkeeper
Víctor Valdés. Although Di María did not have the best season, he did contribute in big moments, most notably by sending in the cross for Cristiano Ronaldo's goal against
Manchester United on 13 February, he registered seventeen assists, and scored nine goals throughout the season in 52 appearances, notably against Atlético Madrid and
Málaga. On 9 August 2012, Di María signed a new contract with Real Madrid, keeping him at the club until 2018. On 2 October 2013, Di María scored two goals against
Copenhagen in Real Madrid's 4–0 Champions League victory over them. Later in the season, due to tactical decisions by the club's new manager
Carlo Ancelotti, Di María's playing position was permanently switched to that of an offensive–minded central midfielder, and he was frequently deployed in the starting line-up alongside
Luka Modrić and
Xabi Alonso in midfield in the team's 4–3–3 formation. He contributed to the club's 2–1 victory over Barcelona in the
2014 Copa del Rey Final with the opening goal. Di María was the top assist maker in La Liga for the season, contributing 17. In the
2014 UEFA Champions League Final against Atlético Madrid on 24 May 2014, Di María dribbled past two players before producing a save from goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois. Di María's teammate
Gareth Bale, was there to head the rebound into the net in the 110th minute, giving Real Madrid a 2–1 lead over Atlético in an eventual 4–1 win. Di María was named
man of the match by
UEFA after the match, and was presented with the honour by former Manchester United head coach
Sir Alex Ferguson. Di María was an unused substitute as Real Madrid won the
2014 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla on 12 August. A week later, in the first leg of the
Supercopa de España, he played the final 15 minutes of a 1–1 home draw against Atlético Madrid in place of Luka Modrić.
Manchester United On 26 August 2014, Di María signed a five-year deal with Manchester United for a transfer fee of £59.7 million,
one of the most expensive transfers of all time and the highest fee ever paid by a British club at the time. He inherited the number 7 shirt at United, which was previously worn by club legends such as
George Best,
Bryan Robson,
Eric Cantona,
David Beckham and
Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he said in an open letter to Real Madrid fans that he had never wanted to leave Real Madrid, but that its board had been unsupportive and unfair: "Someone may not like me". Di María made his debut on 30 August in a 0–0 draw with
Burnley, in which he was substituted for
Anderson after 70 minutes. He scored his first goal for United on 14 September, netting directly from a free-kick in a 4–0 win over
Queens Park Rangers. He also provided an assist for
Juan Mata's goal in the same match, winning the vote for Man of the Match. In the next match, against
Leicester City on 21 September, he again scored a goal and provided another assist, although United lost the match 5–3. On 2 October, Di María won Manchester United's Player of the Month award for September after recording two goals and two assists in his first four matches for the club. One week later, he won his second individual trophy at United after his goal against Leicester, in which he chipped goalkeeper
Kasper Schmeichel, was voted as the club's Goal of the Month for September. Di María continued his run of fine form on 5 October by scoring a goal and providing an assist for
Radamel Falcao to help United defeat
Everton 2–1. Di María was substituted with a hamstring injury 13 minutes into United's 3–0 defeat of
Hull City on 29 November and made only one substitute appearance in the team's next seven matches. On 4 January 2015, Di María returned from injury to score a late goal in a 2–0 win against
Yeovil Town in the third round of the
FA Cup. A week later, he was used as a forward by manager
Louis van Gaal in a 1–0 home defeat to
Southampton. This new role came in the midst of a bad run of form for Di María, who was said to have struggled since October. Di María was sent off on 9 March as United lost 2–1 at home against Arsenal in the
FA Cup sixth round, being booked for diving and for grabbing the shirt of referee
Michael Oliver, but earlier set up the equaliser by
Wayne Rooney. At the season's end, Di María was judged by
The Daily Telegraph to be the worst signing of the season.
Paris Saint-Germain 2015–16: Transfer and domestic quadruple in 2015 On 25 July 2015, Di María failed to board a flight to the United States to join Manchester United's pre-season tour as scheduled; manager Louis van Gaal said he "did not know why". On 2 August, it was reported Di María would undergo a medical ahead of a move to
Paris Saint-Germain; and four days later, Manchester United confirmed he had been sold to the
French champions for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £44 million, signing a four-year contract. Di María made his
Ligue 1 debut on 30 August away to
Monaco as a 66th-minute substitute for
Lucas, and assisted
Ezequiel Lavezzi for the final goal of a 3–0 win at the
Stade Louis II. On 15 September, Di María scored his first goal for PSG on his UEFA Champions League debut for the club, a 2–0 win over
Malmö FF at the
Parc des Princes. Seven days later, he registered his first goal in Ligue 1 as PSG defeated
Guingamp 3–0. On 23 April 2016, Di María scored the winning goal for PSG in the
2016 Coupe de la Ligue Final against
Lille at the
Stade de France. Di María ended
2015–16 setting a new
Ligue 1 record for
assists in a season with 18.
2016–2020: Sustained domestic success and European final In the
2016–17 Champions League group stage home match against
Basel on 19 October 2016, Di María scored the opening goal in the 40th minute in a 3–0 victory for PSG to register his first goal of the season. On 19 November, he opened the scoring with his first
Ligue 1 goal of the season in a 2–0 home win against
Nantes. On 14 February 2017, Di María scored a brace as PSG defeated Barcelona 4–0 in the first leg of
2016–17 UEFA Champions League round of 16 at the Parc des Princes. On 1 April, he scored in PSG's 4–1 win over Monaco in the
2017 Coupe de la Ligue final. On 8 May 2018, he played as PSG won 2–0 against
Les Herbiers to clinch the
2017–18 Coupe de France. On the first leg of his side's
Champions league round of 16 tie against his former club Manchester United in the 2018–19 season, Di María sustained a serious injury following a tackle from
Ashley Young; however, he refused to be substituted, and in the final moments of the game, he assisted
Kylian Mbappé's goal for a 2–0 win at
Old Trafford. Eventually, PSG lost 3–1 in the second leg and were eliminated in the round of 16 for the third consecutive season. In the
2019–20 UEFA Champions League group stage, Di María scored a brace in a 3–0 win over his former club Real Madrid on 18 September 2019. On 18 August 2020, Di María scored a goal and recorded two assists in PSG's 3–0 Champions League semi-final victory over
RB Leipzig; the club went on to play against
Bayern Munich in the
final, but lost the match 1–0.
2020–2022: Assist record and departure On 23 September 2020, Di María was handed a four-match suspension for a spitting incident with
Álvaro González during
Le Classique 10 days earlier. He would miss the league matches against
Angers,
Nîmes,
Dijon and
Nantes. In a UEFA Champions League match against RB Leipzig on 4 November, Di María scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–1 defeat. He made his return to league action in a match against
Rennes three days later, and scored a goal to help PSG win the match 3–0. In a home match against
İstanbul Başakşehir on 9 December 2020, Di María recorded two assists; he subsequently became the player with the third most assists in UEFA Champions League history with a tally of 32, only being behind
Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo. On 12 March 2021, Di María extended his contract with Paris Saint-Germain for one more season with an option for a second. On 4 May, Di María was sent off against
Manchester City in the semi-finals of the Champions League for stamping on
Fernandinho in an off the ball incident. He was handed a three-match ban in European competitions. In the
2021 Coupe de France Final, when PSG defeated Monaco by a score of 2–0, Di María broke the all-time assist record for PSG by delivering a pass for a Kylian Mbappé goal. It was his 104th assist as a PSG player. In the
2021–22 season with Paris Saint-Germain, Di María won the Ligue 1 title, his fifth league title with the club. On 20 May 2022, his departure from Paris at the end of his contract was confirmed. In his last match for the club against
Metz on 21 May, Di María scored a goal and recorded an assist, helping his team to a 5–0 win. He received a tribute and ovation from the Parc des Princes. Di María ended his spell at PSG with 92 goals and 112 assists in 295 matches.
Juventus On 8 July 2022, Di María joined
Juventus as a
free agent after signing an annual contract. He made his club debut on 15 August, in Juventus's opening match of the Serie A season; he scored the opening goal and later assisted
Dušan Vlahović's second goal in an eventual 3–0 home win but was substituted in the second half after sustaining an injury. On 15 September, he made his
100th Champions League appearance, and his debut with Juventus in that competition, in a 2–1 home defeat against his former club Benfica. On 5 October, Di María provided a hat-trick of assists in a 3–1 home win against
Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League, making the
third highest assist provider in the competition's history. Despite his contributions, Juventus finished third in the
group stage which put them in the
Europa League knockout round play-offs, and as a result, they failed to make the
Champions League knockout stages for the first time since 2013. On 23 February 2023, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 away win over Nantes in the
Europa League. On 9 March, he scored his fourth goal in the competition, after netting the only goal of a home win over
Freiburg. He impressed during the season, despite suffering from multiple hamstring injuries, which limited his game time. On 6 June, Di María confirmed his departure from Juventus, following the expiry of his contract. in 2023
Return to Benfica Amidst growing interest from Saudi clubs, Di María ended all speculations on 6 July 2023, when he signed a one-year contract with Benfica and was presented in front of 2,500 Benfica supporters in the entrance of
Estádio da Luz. On 9 August, Di María made his second debut at Benfica, scoring the opening goal of a 2–0 victory over
Porto in the
Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, winning his first trophy back with the club. With two assists and a goal in a 4–0 win over
Vitória de Guimarães on 2 September, he reached five goal contributions in his first four league games. On 29 September, he scored the only goal of a home win over Porto, in the Primeira Liga, allowing his side to stay on top of the league table. In the last
Champions League group stage match on 12 December, Di María scored his first goal in the competition with Benfica, directly from a corner kick, in a 3–1 away win over
Red Bull Salzburg, which proved essential for the
Eagles to qualify to the
UEFA Europa League knock-out round play-offs. There, he scored two penalties in a 2–1 aggregate victory over
Toulouse. In the first leg of the quarter-finals against Olympique de Marseille on 11 April, he scored from open play to help his side to a 2–1 victory, but in the second leg, he missed the first kick of the penalty shootout as Benfica was knocked-out. On 23 November 2024, the 36-year-old Di María scored a 16-minute hat-trick in the opening 18 minutes of the Portuguese Cup fourth round match against
Estrela da Amadora, helping his team to a 7–0 victory. Two months later, on 11 January, he started in the
2025 Taça da Liga final against city rivals Sporting, converting his penalty in an eventual shoot-out victory. Di María scored four penalties in the
2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the first three against Boca Juniors and
Auckland City in the
group stage, while the fourth was a last-minute equaliser against
Chelsea in the round of 16, which ended in a 4–1 loss in extra-time. This marked the end of his European career, after 768 official matches.
Return to Rosario Central On 29 May 2025, it was announced by boyhood club
Rosario Central that Di María would be returning on a free transfer after Benfica's participation in the
2025 FIFA Club World Cup. On 12 July, he made his first appearance since returning to the club, scoring a penalty in a 1–1 draw against
Godoy Cruz. == International career ==