Whoever signs Angel Di Maria makes deal as we’re talking about champion, asserts Gianluigi Buffon

While Paris Saint-Germain entered the 2021/22 season with more than a few contract concerns, their biggest happened to be with Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappe. But while the Frenchman signed an extension, reports indicated that PSG and Di Maria had struggled to come to an agreement. That has since seen the 34-year-old leave the club on a free-transfer although interest in him has risen over the last month or so.

It has seen Di Maria linked with a move to both Juventus and Barcelona although reports have indicated that the Turin side are the front-runners. But in light of many questioning Di Maria’s skill-set and age, Gianluigi Buffon has admitted that “age doesn’t matter” but “motivation and passion are much more important” which he believes Di Maria has in spades. Not only that, the Italian legend added that whichever club signs the Argentine “makes a deal”.

“I am 44, but I still play. Age doesn’t matter. Motivation and passion are much more important and the same goes for determination. If Di Maria joins Juventus, it means that he’s ready to do so. We are talking of an exemplary professional, a nice guy, one who never gives up and fights during games and training sessions. I repeat, for today’s Serie A, he’d be like Maradona,” Buffon said, reported Goal.

“At PSG, I played with Neymar, a young Kylian Mbappe, Marco Verratti, but Di Maria was not inferior to any of them. When he won the Decima at Madrid in 2014, he was playing with Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. He was always a step back but knew how to play as a winger, attacking midfielder and even mezzala.

“Whoever signs him, and I hope it’s Juve, makes a deal. We are talking about a champion and football needs champions.”

Buffon, who spent a year at PSG in the 2018/19 season, further praised the 34-year-old and even went as far as to say that he believes Di Maria playing “in Serie A is like Maradona”. The Juventus legend further admitted that the Italian top tier is “technically poorer” right now and that the Argentine would bring that level up and add to Juventus’ team.

“Right now, Di Maria in Serie A is like Maradona. Am I clear? Footballers must be valued considering the context where they play. Today Serie A is technically poorer and Angel has so much technique. He is decisive in front of goal, he dribbles past his opponents so easily. He is good at delivering assists and runs up and down on the pitch. He can play in different roles. In a few words: he is a football player,” he added.