Everything has changed in three months for Angel Di Maria, the Argentinian winger who has become an instant icon at Manchester United with his goals, assists and hard work.
A walk around Old Trafford in the hours ahead of a game confirms that, while veteran fans are excited about Di Maria’s contribution to a team that hit rock bottom last season, youngsters have found a new hero and show their unconditional love for him with their shirts.
Di Maria’s shirt is a bestseller at ManU’s official stores, but even his blue-and-white Argentina shirt will do.
The English do not usually mix football and politics or their clubs with the national team, so the 1982 Falklands War between the two countries and Diego Maradona’s infamous “hand of God” goal against England in Mexico 1986 do not haunt Di Maria.
In fact, the newsletter for Sunday’s game against Everton that United won 2-1 - with a goal and an assist from Di Maria- had the Argentinian flag on its cover.
“With every day that goes by, I feel much more relaxed and settled here,” the winger told the club’s TV channel late Sunday.
United are allowing Di Maria to leave behind a bitter absence, due to injury, from the World Cup final Argentina lost to Germany in July, and an exit from Real Madrid that both coach Carlo Ancelotti and a majority of the fans opposed.
“Since the day I arrived, people have shown real warmth towards me - at every corner kick or free kick, or even during open play, every time I have the ball I feel they’re right behind me. That always makes you feel even happier,” Di Maria said.
That is the very nature of English football. Fans fill stadiums game after game, without the empty seats that are so often seen at the stadiums of Barcelona or Real Madrid, and they value every effort and every gesture by their players.
They refer to the team as “our boys,” they celebrate goals, but also assists, good moves to clear the ball and cunning play, even if the ball does not eventually find its way to the net.
To that extent, British fans are far more “Latin” than those in the cold Santiago Bernabeu stadium, comparable rather to those in Argentina and other South American countries.
Di Maria, who had to endure Real Madrid fans but was also a crowd favourite there by the time he left, can appreciate that.
“When you give assists and also you score goals, what can you ask more of a player?” United manager Louis van Gaal said of Di Maria.
The Argentinian has scored three goals in five games for United, including one against Leicester that impressed most observers. However, Van Gaal does not want him to get complacent.
“Of course we have to improve in a lot of things, and also Di Maria has to improve. When you do that every week - and he does that every week - then we have to be very pleased with him,” Van Gaal said.
In the meantime, Di Maria is adapting well. Football magazine Four Four Two devoted the cover of its latest edition to the winger, and defined him as “Man United’s most important player since (Eric) Cantona.”
“Is he really that good?” the magazine asked about the 26-year-old Argentinian, who moved to Old Trafford for a Premier League record 60 million pounds (96 million dollars).So far, it would appear that he is.
Di Maria knows that club authorities like him better in Manchester than in Madrid, and he feels somewhat relieved about that.
“(Real Madrid president) Florentino Perez wasn’t there when I was signed and he didn’t show up when I had to renew my contract, either,” Di Maria told Four Four Two.
The magazine agrees that the winger deserves better. He is, according to Four Four Two, “an on-pitch agitator.”
“A tight game can change drastically with just one of his interventions,” the magazine said.