Argentina star and former Manchester United forward Angel Di Maria received a threat at his family home on the outskirts of Rosario early Monday morning, according to local media.
The threat comes a week after Di Maria, who currently plays for Portuguese giants Benfica, said he would like to end his career at his boyhood club Rosario Central.
Di Maria left his boyhood club back in 2007 after playing 36 games. He then moved to Europe by joining Benfica which acted as a stepping stone for Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and Juventus.
The Argentina international arrived at Old Trafford from Madrid for what was, at the time, a club-record £59.7 million fee back in 2014. Di Maria wore the iconic No.7 shirt but he struggled to live up to expectations after a decent start to life in England.
The World Cup winner returned to Benfica in 2023.
According to local media in Rosario, as per Mdzol, a car left a sign in front of the private neighbourhood where Di Maria tends to stay when back home. It was addressed to the Di Maria family saying not even the provincial governor Maximiliano Pullaro could guarantee their safety if he returned to the city.
‘Tell your son Angel not to come back to Rosario because we will kill a family member. Not even Pullaro is going to save you.
‘We don’t leave paper notes. We leave bullets and dead people behind.’
Pablo Javkin is the current mayor of Rosario.
The Rosario area has seen a rise in violence by drug trafficking groups and it doesn’t sound Di Maria will be able to risk a return, which must be difficult for the player since it’s his home.
Not the first threat issued to a footballer in Rosario
Lionel Messi was threatened in a letter last year after unidentified gunmen attacked a supermarket owned by his wife Antonela Roccuzzo’s family, as per Sky News.
It is believed 14 shots were fired at the supermarket.
The message in question read: ‘Messi, Javkin is not going to look after you.’
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