In an interview with Italian news outlet Libero, Angel Di Maria recounted the time when his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo turned up for his birthday party and enjoyed it with him and his friends.
Di Maria moved to Real Madrid from Benfica for €33.5 million in 2010, joining a galaxy of superstars at the club, including Karim Benzema, Iker Casillas, Kaka, and, of course, Ronaldo. He scored 36 times and assisted 85 in 190 appearances for Los Blancos before his move to Manchester United in 2014.
Di Maria and Ronaldo enjoyed four fruitful years together at the Santiago Bernabeu between 2010 and 2014, winning six trophies, including the Champions League in 2011/12.
They had 28 joint goal contributions in 166 games played together, with the former assisting the latter 25 times and the latter repaying the favor thrice.
The Argentine had only been at the club for a matter of months when he invited the Portuguese superstar to his birthday party, and he was pleasantly surprised when the talisman showed up to the gig.
Speaking to Libero, he said:
“I invited Cristiano to my first birthday in Madrid thinking that he was not going to come. He came and drank beer with my friends as if nothing had happened.”
The details of this interview are particularly interesting, as Cristiano’s abstinence from drinking alcohol to keep up his football fitness is well known.
However, he has also been known to break his abstinence in special instances, with examples like the post-Euro 2016 victory celebration coming to mind.
Di Maria also reveals fallout between Ronaldo and former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho
In the same interview, Di Maria also divulged the details of a fallout between Cristiano Ronaldo and former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho.
He called his boss “insane,” saying that he was a man who stood by his words no matter what, but also said that he never had problems with the Portuguese tactician.
He stated:
“Mourinho is insane, with me he was always a good guy. He fought with anyone though, he didn’t give a f***.”
Talking about the spat between the two Portuguese compatriots, he said:
“One time he fought with Ronaldo, telling him he didn’t run, that everyone ran for him.”
Mourinho is undoubtedly one of the best managers in world football and is known to be harsh and demanding of his players. His tenure at Real Madrid lasted only three years, yielding a La Liga, a Copa del Rey, and a Supercopa de Espana title.
The details from Di Maria’s interview could suggest that the spat between “The Special One” (as Jose calls himself) and his star player Ronaldo could have been a potential reason for him to part ways with the club.
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