Angel Di Maria Embarks On Coaching Journey To Shape Life Beyond Football

Benfica forward, Angel Di Maria, said he is studying to become a coach as he will consider opportunities in the dug-out when he eventually ends his 20-year-long playing career.

The 36-year-old, who played a key role in Argentina’s victory at the 2022 World Cup, announced his retirement from international soccer following his second Copa America win in July.

Di Maria, a former player for Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Paris Saint-Germain, has scored five goals and provided two assists in 14 appearances for Benfica this season. This includes a goal in their 4-0 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid last month.

“I am taking the course to be a coach. I am doing it just in case,” Di Maria said in an interview with Clank Media published late on Monday. “From the age of 30, I started to see football differently and analyze it.”

“I started to see it not only from the player’s side but also how a coach can see it. I know that the coaching side is much more difficult because it takes much more time. As a player, you just train and go home.

“When I retire, I would like to enjoy time with my family for a while but later on, maybe this can happen.”

Di Maria, who joined Benfica last year from Italian club Juventus, has a contract with the Portuguese team that runs until June 2025.