Angel Di Maria’s contract with Benfica ends at the end of the current season, and the World Cup winner has stated that a move back to Rosario, Argentina is out of the question given the city’s high crime rate and threats he and his family received.
Di Maria revealed many times his desire was to retire with boyhood club Rosario Central, but an incident involving a family home in a private neighborhood in Rosario made the former Real Madrid winger think twice.
A threatening note was left at his home advising the winger not to return to the city or face “consequences”. The note also threatened his family with death by gunshot.
Why was Di Maria threatened?
The reason behind the threat is unknown, but it is also not uncommon for prevalent or famous citizens of Rosario to receive threats from the drug gangs of the city.
The city of Rosario has been overrun by a drug gangland culture which has engulfed the area as there are gangland murders throughout the year. Rosario is a port city and it’s become a center for drug dealing and trafficking.
On a soccer side, given the current situation Di Maria is looking at other options for his next step, one of those options could be MLS, while Inter Miami given its salary cap might not be an option, MLS has been known to “bend” the rules to sign a star of the magnitude of Di Maria.
Another option for Di Maria that is being reported in Argentina is River Plate, River executives have reached out to Di Maria’s representation to see how he would feel about a move back home.
