Angel Di Maria held his first press conference as a Juventus player today, here are the five takeaways from his first meeting with the media.
Football Italia covered Di Maria’s press conference from the Allianz Stadium today. The 34-year-old has signed a one-year deal in Turin, completing a free transfer from PSG.
The ex-Manchester United and PSG star revealed that Juventus have been the only team he spoke to after his contract with the Ligue 1 giants, so he didn’t confirm rumours about his possible move to Barcelona.
Spanish media had reported in June that the La Liga giants were also interested in El Fideo and had made their move.
Di Maria also revealed that he spoke to Paulo Dybala about the Old Lady and that his compatriot told him that the Bianconeri are ‘like a family.’
He added that he had spoken to his former PSG teammate Gigi Buffon on the day he signed with the Bianconeri. Buffon and Di Maria spent a season together in Paris.
Last month, the Italy goalkeeper said that Di Maria was ‘worthy of Diego Maradona’ for Serie A, but El Fideo obviously admitted that it is impossible to reach his level.
Here are the five takeaways from Di Maria’s first press conference and click here for the live coverage with every word the 34-year-old said during his first meeting with the media.
Why he chose Juventus and other clubs interested
“Such an important club like Juventus insisted a lot have me, it was impossible to reject their proposal. They waited for my contract to expire, I was determined to join this club to make sure my family was happy. I wanted to be sure that I could fully dedicate myself to this incoming season.”
“Juventus is the only club I talked with from the very beginning. I am a close friend of Rui Costa of Benfica who contacted me, but nothing more. Juventus insisted a lot, they came up to me for 40 days, waiting for my decision, I was grateful for the great interest they showed and I met several players in my national team that played here. The club’s greatness made me pick Juve, I know many players and this had an impact in my decision.”
Maradona comparison
“Diego is Diego, everyone knows it. I’m on good terms with Buffon, he is a fantastic person. I spoke to him the day I signed. I am calm and I want to do my best as I’ve always done in my career. I know Pogba, I know his qualities, there are young players we must support. We have a great commitment to help Juventus win everything.”
World Cup
“My mind is focused on Juventus and then I’ll think about the national team, but I’ve joined a great club to win. What I want to do is to win with Juventus and then I’ll focus on the national team when the right moment arrives.”
Has he spoken to Juventus target Leandro Paredes?
“He has already played in Italy, he knows Juventus well, we are close friends, we speak a lot, but we talk more of personal stuff.”
Did he talk to Dybala or Ronaldo about Juventus?
“Mostly with Dybala, he told me that this is an important team, like a family and I’ve immediately perceived it. He told me I’d feel well here and they’d treat me well. This is what’s going on, a lot of my [former] teammates wanted me to come here, especially Buffon.”
So we have him, no fan wanted him, he’s here , lets see what he does