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Former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis has issued a public apology to Angel Di Maria over an action he carried out years ago. The Brazilian defender revealed the tactics he used to subdue the Argentinean winger in their first meeting in La Liga.
Filipe Luis arrived in Spain ahead of the 2010-11 season and became a key player for Atletico Madrid over two spells at the club. The talented left-back became one of the best in Europe in his time at the Vicente Calderon, and he also had a stint at Chelsea.
In his debut campaign with Los Colchoneros, Filipe Luis was up against Angel Di Maria and Real Madrid for the first time. Before the match, the left-back was approached by Sergio Aguero, who told him that the only way to rile up Di Maria was to mention his wife's name.
Luis revealed in the latest episode of the Charla podcast that he did as he was told, and the effect was immediate on the winger. He admitted that he feels bad about that episode and extended an apology to Di Maria.
“My biggest regret was with Di María. Atléti vs Real, Agüero said 'if you come and talk about his wife, he'll get lost'. I spoke about his wife and he was lost. I beat him the whole game. I got home and regretted it so much. Di María, I'm sorry."
Filipe Luis may have managed to get into the head of Di Maria, but his tactic did not prevent Real Madrid from winning. Los Blancos won all four of their matches played against their city rivals in the 2010-11 season in La Liga and Copa del Rey.
Luis retired this month (December 2023) after a stint back home with Flamengo. The 38-year-old defender had a successful career, winning league titles with Atletico Madrid and Chelsea.
Looking at Angel Di Maria's illustrious career
Over the last 15 years, Argentine star Angel Di Maria has been a household name in football. The winger has played for the best teams in the world including Real Madrid, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
Now 35, Di Maria was released by Juventus at the end of the 2022-23 season, after which he joined Benfica. He has contributed five goals and an assist in 11 league appearances for the reigning Portuguese champions in his second spell at the club. In total, he has registered 169 goals and 255 assists in 738 games.
Overall, he has won multiple league and European titles with major European clubs. His crowning moment in football came last season when he lifted the FIFA World Cup with Argentina last year in Qatar. Angel Di Maria confirmed that he will retire from national team duty after the Copa America next summer.
