“I couldn’t even believe, at times, the things I did” - Di Maria sums up his performance for Lionel Messi-led Argentina in 2022 World Cup final

Lionel Messi's former teammate Angel Di Maria has opened up on his performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final against France. Fideo has been key to Argentina's success in recent years.

The former Real Madrid forward scored the winner in La Albiceleste's 1-0 win over Brazil in the Copa America 2021 final. That victory helped Lionel Messi lift his first title with his country's senior team.

Angel Di Maria, meanwhile, was also on song a year later in the Finalissima, getting on the scoresheet to help La Albiceleste secure a 3-0 win over then European champions Italy. The 37-year-old, who is all set to leave Benfica this summer, was a key member of the team that lifted the 2022 FIFA World Cup as well.

Fideo, interestingly, scored the opening goal against France at the Lusail Stadium in the final on December 18. The Argentine forward played 64 minutes, before he was replaced by Marcos Acuna, with his team eventually winning on penalties.

Speaking to O Jogo, the player insisted that it was the best game of his career.

"The final against France in the World Cup. I think the 75 minutes I played were 75 incredible minutes, in which I couldn't even believe, at times, the things I did, the way I felt on the pitch. I think it was the best game I've played in my career," said Di Maria

Interestingly, Lionel Messi set up Fideo to score the only goal in Argentina's 1-0 win over Nigeria at the 2008 Olympic final.

How many games have Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria played together?

Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria shared the pitch together 141 times for Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in their career. They won 94 games, lost just 20, and contributed 16 goals together.

Together, they won the 2008 Olympics, the 2021 and 2024 Copa America, the 2022 Finalissima, and the coveted 2022 FIFA World Cup for their country. They were also part of the Parisians team that won the Ligue 1 in the 2021/22 season.

Fideo retired from international football after winning the 2024 Copa America. The Argentine has appeared 145 times for the La Albiceleste senior team, scoring 31 goals. He scored four goals in four games for Benfica at this summer's FIFA Club World Cup, and is now all set to return to his boyhood club, Rosario Central, as a free agent.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit