Angel Di Maria Names the Worst Manager He’s Ever Worked Under

Former World Cup winner and Champions League final Man of the Match Angel Di Maria once named his least favourite manager from his storied career.

The Argentine featured for the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus throughout his playing days, winning almost everything there is to win in the game.

Perhaps his finest moment came in 2014 as he spearheaded Real Madrid to their 10th European title – fondly referred to by Madridistas as ‘La Decima’.

Despite his brilliant performance in the final, the winger was shipped off to Manchester United for a fee of £59.7 million as the Red Devils looked to bounce back after a difficult first season in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

However, it was at Old Trafford where the 38-year-old came across the worst coach that he ever worked under.

Di Maria: Louis van Gaal My Worst Manager

In an interview with ESPN Argentina, Di Maria made no bones about the fact that Louis van Gaal is the worst manager he’s played for during his career.

The duo spent one season together in Manchester, and despite Di Maria making a hot start to life in England, things quickly fizzled out and his relationship with the Dutchman deteriorated quickly.

While more clarification on the matter wasn’t given at the time, it’s not the most surprising of answers considering Di Maria was flogged within a year of joining the English giants as he made the switch to the French capital in 2015.

Van Gaal has previously given his say on the matter, suggesting that the player, who goes down as one of the worst signings in Manchester United history, couldn’t handle the pressure of the Premier League and that he tried to play him in every possible position in the final third:

Di Maria Explains What Sparked Tension With Van Gaal

However, Di Maria has since lifted the lid on why exactly he and Van Gaal never clicked at Old Trafford. While making a documentary for Netflix, ‘Angel Di Maria: Breaking down the Wall’, the winger said it was the Dutchman’s constant criticism which left him irate.

He said: “We were winning, I was making assists and scoring, but he didn’t mention that. He only ever wanted to talk about the mistakes.

“Identifying and learning from your mistakes is crucial, of course. But given my position as a forward, I’m bound to make mistakes because I’m always trying. My job is to always go for an assist or take a shot on goal.”

Di Maria was not the only player in the dressing room to notice that Van Gaal was constantly focusing on the mistakes, either. The Red Devils’ former midfielder, Ander Herrera, also added: “Van Gaal was the type of coach who was very critical when analysing his players’ actions.

“Compared to everyone else on the team, it seemed like the coach was being way stricter with him. Eventually, I think all the criticism ended up undermining Angel’s confidence.”

Di Maria Named His Favourite Managers

On the flip side of things, the attacker listed two coaches that he worked with during his time in the Argentina national team among his favourite coaches:

Di Maria reached the World Cup final under Sabella in 2014, losing out to Germany. He would go one step better eight years later with Scaloni at the helm, scoring in the 2022 final before lifting the famous trophy following a pulsating penalty shootout victory over France in Qatar.