This Thursday, it was confirmed that Angel Di Maria will return to Argentina to play for his first club, Rosario Central, bringing an end to an 18-year run in Europe. As a result, the winger will no longer have the chance to match Cristiano Ronaldo’s impressive UEFA Champions League mark.
Ronaldo holds the record for the most assists in Champions League history, with a total of 42 across his time at Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. Di Maria was second in that ranking with 41, accumulated during his years with Benfica, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus. However, by leaving European soccer, he will no longer have the opportunity to tie or surpass CR7.
Right behind Cristiano and Di Maria in that ranking is another Argentine star: Lionel Messi. The forward spent the majority of his career with Barcelona and later played two seasons with PSG, which allowed him to reach an impressive 40 assists in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.
Further down the list is another former Barcelona player, Neymar Jr., with 33 assists. The top ten is rounded out by Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs (31), Xavi Hernandez and Thomas Muller (30), and Karim Benzema, Andres Iniesta, and Kevin De Bruyne (29).
Angel Di Maria netted a goal in the 2022 World Cup final vs France
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League records
In addition to holding the record for most assists in UEFA Champions League history, Cristiano Ronaldo boasts several other remarkable achievements. He is also the tournament’s all-time leading scorer, with 140 goals—11 more than his closest rival, Lionel Messi.
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But that’s not all. The Portuguese superstar is the player with the most appearances in the history of Europe’s top club competition (183), was the tournament’s top scorer in six different seasons, and holds the record for most goals scored in a single campaign (17, in 2013–14). He also won one UCL title with Manchester United in 2008 and four times with Real Madrid, in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Di Maria’s return to Argentina
Angel Di Maria will become the fourth member of Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning squad to return to the domestic league after their triumph in Qatar. Before him, Gonzalo Montiel, German Pezzella, and Marcos Acuña all signed with River Plate, joining Franco Armani, who was already at the club.
The winger will be playing in his home country again after 18 years. He came up through Rosario Central, making his debut at just 17 years old in 2005. He played 39 matches there, with 6 goals and 2 assists, before transferring to Benfica in the summer of 2007 for $8.3 million. After a successful run in Europe—particularly with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus—Di Maria will now finish his career where it all began.
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