Angel Di Maria was at his devastating best against Chile in the Copa America group game on Monday night. The PSG midfielder was voted as the man of the match as he scored the opening goal and set up Ever Banega for the second.
The South America giants scored two goals in eight minutes and managed to hold on to the victory in the end despite a late goal from Chile. Di Maria dedicated his goal to his late Grandmother who passed away on Sunday.
The big news before the game was about Lionel Messi. The Argentine was declared not fit enough to play the game against Chile much to the disappointment of the fans in the stadium.
But Di Maria more than made up for the talisman’s absence by putting in a brilliant performance. The fans in the stadium were still chanting Messi’s name despite his heroics. Di Maria was overwhelmed by emotions after the game .
The player came up for an interview with one of the presenters after the game and he was asked about his grandmother. Di Maria immediately broke down and started to cry as he struggled to answer the question.
The interview was in Spanish but this is what it roughly translated to. “It was very difficult for me because my grandmother was my aunt, my mother. She was everything for me.I wanted to play, my grandmother was so proud that I played for the national team. Granny, I will miss you so much.”
Here is the video of the interview:
Di Maria held up a shirt with the message “I’m going to miss you so much Grandma” after scoring the first goal for Argentina. Di Maria had also posted a picture on Instagram after she passed away. Here is the tribute from his Instagram account
Di Maria posted a picture of he and his grandmother dancing with a message after her death as he was unable to attend her funeral.
Here is the translation: Cute little lady, rest in peace next to your old man. Thanks for teaching me these values which I use today with my head held high. I love you with all my heart!
