Di Maria’s Bold Pivot: A Legendary Player Aims for Argentina’s Bench and Two Big Clubs

Di Maria eyes coaching two Argentine giants

The veteran Argentinian forward Angel Di Maria has made his intentions clear: he wants to go into coaching after hanging up his boots, with two of Argentina’s biggest clubs—Rosario Central and Boca Juniors—in his sights.

Spanning more than two decades across Europe, his decision signals a fresh chapter off the pitch and a new kind of ambition that goes beyond scoring goals.

At 37, Di Maria remains with his hometown club Rosario Central, the very club where his professional journey began before he tasted European football.

He hopes to end his playing days with the colors that started it all and transition to a head coaching role thereafter.

In an interview with ESPN, Di Maria confirmed he has already started serious preparations for coaching, working on assembling his future staff with national team teammate Leandro Paredes.

"I’m building a coaching staff with Leandro Paredes... I’m currently studying for a coaching license," he said.

Note: a joint venture

Paredes is one of Di Maria’s closest allies, and the two shared four seasons at Paris Saint-Germain before both played pivotal roles for Argentina’s World Cup triumph in 2022 in Qatar.

Paredes had the second-to-last kick in the famous shootout against France in the final, while Di Maria scored one of the goals and stood out as a tournament star.

Di Maria hasn’t hid his coaching philosophy, stating plainly: "We will always play a 4-3-3… to death. After retirement, we want to coach Rosario Central and Boca Juniors."

This tactical and attacking mindset mirrors how he played—bold, dynamic, and capable of turning the game in the final third.

If he advances, he would join a line of former Manchester United stars who turned to coaching, such as Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney, Tom Cleverley, and Robin van Persie, each carving a different path with varying success.

Throughout his career, Di Maria has played under a roster of elite coaches like Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho, and Thomas Tuchel, whose influence helped shape his game and his leadership style.

Many fans on social media have welcomed his preferred 4-3-3 as a natural fit for his personality and approach to the game.

Beyond the coaching dream, Di Maria remains a central figure on the pitch as he nears the end of his European adventure. He closed his European chapter with Benfica after the Club World Cup campaign and has since returned to Argentina, approaching the final pages of a career that began in 2005.

At 37, many observers see coaching as imminent, with Di Maria signaling a clear future and taking concrete steps toward the dugout.

In the same week, Rosario Central celebrated a historic milestone as the Argentine Football Association crowned the club champion for 2025 under a newly devised format that rewards consistent performance across both traditional seasons.

Di Maria attended the ceremony as Central collected the first-ever title under this revamped system, which replaces the Apertura and Clausura structure with a single annual champion based on combined points across both phases.

Rosario Central finished with 66 points—the best tally among all clubs in the combined standings—highlighting a historic achievement for the club he began with.

The new rules will influence relegation and qualification for continental competitions like the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, adding extra significance to every match in the season’s run-in.

Amid his coaching ambitions and a career nearing its end, Di Maria’s renewed status at his historic club signals a potentially transformative chapter for Argentine football, with Rosario Central or Boca Juniors as likely launch pads for his managerial journey, in sync with his shared dream with Leandro Paredes.

Di Maria’s career remains peppered with moments of brilliance—from his Real Madrid days to his storied Argentina performances alongside Lionel Messi, cementing his legacy as one of the greats.

Punchlines: If his coaching plan lands, expect formations so precise they’d make a sniper jealous. If not, at least his sideline humor will keep the team entertained—Di Maria knows the value of a good bench banter. And yes, the crowd will still cheer, even if the plan occasionally goes a little off-script.