It’s been three years since the Argentinian has left.
It has been three years since Argentina international winger Angel Fabian Di Maria Hernandez had dawned the famous all white Real Madrid jersey. Although the 29-year-old’s move from the Santiago Bernabeu was somewhat peaceful in 2014, it doesn’t stop some fans from remembering what could have been if he stayed.
Two weeks ago, on Valentine’s Day, Di Maria and Paris Saint-Germain triumphantly demolished Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Champions League knockout stage, a match that saw Di Maria score a brace against the Catalans.
Seeing the Argentinian score effortlessly against Barcelona brought back exciting memories of former performances in either the Copa Del Rey or La Liga against Madrid’s arch rivals. However, sadly enough, these memories can’t happen anymore.
Di Maria was a part of a golden age of Real Madrid in the 21st century. The 29-year-old had left Madrid after four glorious years that saw him win a Champions League medal, two Copa Del Rey cups, and a La Liga title.
Three years later, Madrid has yet to win themselves a La Liga or Copa Del Rey cup, leaving the question whether or not Real Madrid miss Di Maria or not.
To answer the question, we must first see what Madrid has won with and without Di Maria. Furthermore, we must see what Di Maria had won without Madrid.
Real Madrid’s awards with Di Maria (2010-2014)
UEFA Champions League: 2013–14
UEFA Super Cup: 2014
La Liga: 2011–12
Copa del Rey: 2010–11, 2013–14
Supercopa de España: 2012
FIFA Club World Cup: 2014
Real Madrid’s awards without Di Maria (2014 to present):
UEFA Champions League: 2015-16
UEFA Super Cup: 2016
La Liga: N/A
Copa del Rey: N/A
Supercopa de España: N/A
FIFA Club World Cup: 2016
Di Maria’s awards without Real Madrid (2014 to present):
Ligue 1: 2015-16
Coupe de France: 2015-16
Coupe de la Ligue: 2015-16
Trophee des Champions: 2016
There is a clear sign that Di Maria had accumulated more trophies in his four years with the club than Real Madrid did without him. Furthermore, Di Maria has continued to find success in another league, Ligue 1. While in Paris over the last two years, Di Maria has picked himself up four more trophies. When compared, Di Maria has earned more trophies in the past year than Real Madrid in the three years after Di Maria’s move.
Now, winning isn’t everything. What about stats? Well, it looks like Di Maria may be doing the same work that he did with Madrid – or a little worse.
In his overall time with Madrid, Di Maria played 190 matches, scoring 36 goals and assisted 87. Since leaving Madrid, Di Maria has a combined 109 matches played, with 26 goals and 47 assists – playing for both Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain. These stats look to keep the Argentina international on track to achieve his Real Madrid numbers.
Here is a further look into Di Maria’s stats year by year:
2011/12 (Real Madrid):
Di Maria was a part of the 2011-2012 Real Madrid team that broke the club’s most league goals scored in a season, 121, and the most goals scored in a season in all competitions, 174.
Di Maria was also a part of the 2011-12 team that earned the most points in a single season with 100 in 38 matches.
In the 2011-12 season, Di Maria scored seven goals and assisted 17 in 32 matches.
Di Maria played in 124 La Liga matches, scoring 22 goals and assisting 62.
2013/14 (Real Madrid):
Di Maria played in 52 matches, scoring eleven goals and assisting 26.
2014/15 (Manchester United):
While in the Premier League with Manchester United, Di Maria played in 27 matches and scored three goals and assisted eleven.
2015-present (Paris Saint-Germain):
Di Maria has triumphed in France by playing in 50 matches and scoring 12 goals and providing 24 assists.
After looking at all of the facts and stats, it is clear that Di Maria had more success with Madrid than Madrid has without him. Stat-wise, Di Maria is on the same path that he was on while with Madrid. Overall, do Madrid him? Most likely, they DO NOT. The main reason Di Maria left Madrid was due to his limited playing time behind Gareth Bale and CR7 – two much higher tier wingers than Di Maria.
The 29-year-old understood his situation and elected to leave. If Di Maria decided to stay, he could have been ostracized by the team and could have wasted away on the bench.
In the end, his move away from Madrid was a smart idea for both parties. It is difficult to say that either has had more success since the departure, but there is one thing for sure, Di Maria is an outstanding player that will forever be missed at the Bernabeu.
So what do you think? We’ve provided the stats and the info. Was it a good idea for Madrid to move on without Di Maria? Let’s talk below!