Former Real Madrid and Manchester United star Angel Di Maria scored a stunning free-kick to win Rosario Central bragging rights over arch rivals Newell Old Boys.
The 37-year-old began his career with Rosario and played for them for two seasons before moving to Europe with Benfica in 2007 – the first step of what turned out to be a glittering spell on the continent.
He returned to his boyhood club earlier this summer despite having received death threats that forced him to backtrack on his return 10 months earlier.
And Di Maria lit up the Rosario derby with a stunning 82nd-minute free-kick on Saturday, whipping the ball into the top corner to send the home crowd wild.
It was his third goal of the Liga Profesional season, having also scored from the penalty spot earlier, and secured Rosario Central a fifth straight win over Newell’s – their longest run of derby victories.
Speaking afterwards, the veteran said: ‘I suffered for a long time because I wanted to experience this with my family and be at El Gigante.
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Angel Di Maria scored a stunning free-kick to win Rosario Central the Rosario derby
Di Maria whipped the ball into the top corner to send the home crowd wild after 82 minutes
The 37-year-old revealed that threats were made to his family, including a death threat aimed at one of his daughters last year
‘I know many people criticized me at the time, but they don’t know what I went through. I dedicate this to my family.
‘I’ve dreamed of it my whole life. These 18 years, all I’ve thought about is coming back. I don’t know what more I can ask for. All that’s left is to be a champion with Central.’
The threats Di Maria received in August 2024 included the receipt of a pig’s head with a bullet lodged in its forehead, as well as a package that contained a death threat against one of his daughter.
Contemporaneous local media reports also claimed that a car left a sign in front of the private neighborhood where the 36-year-old usually stays addressed to the Di Maria family saying not even the provincial governor Maximiliano Pullaro could guarantee their safety if he returns to the city.
‘There was a threat carried out in my parents’ neighborhood which became public and at the same time another one at my sister’s property which didn’t come to light because my sister and my brother-in-law were scared and did not report it,’ he told Canal 3.
‘Those months were horrible, we could only sit there and cry each night over not being able to carry out that dream.’
Despite the threats, Di Maria received criticism from Rosario fans after deciding against a return to the club at the time.
‘Those who don’t understand, they don’t put themselves in my place for one second,’ he added. ‘Because it’s easy to mistreat others on social media without putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes.’
Di Maria’s parents were reportedly told that aggressors will ‘kill a family member’ if he returns
Rosario, site of one of the world’s largest agro-port hubs, has seen an intense increase in violence by drug trafficking groups, as the city is – according to experts – a potential outlet for illegal drugs to other countries.
Di Maria left his boyhood club back in 2007 after playing 36 games for Rosario Central, before signing for Benfica – where he made 125 appearances in three years.
He then left Portugal to join Spanish giants Real Madrid before later moving to Manchester United, PSG, Juventus and then returning to Benfica.
