01x03 - Episode 3

[bunniefuu]

That's a chicken.

That's supposed to be a rooster, Pía?

Pía! What? Seriously?

Let's go.

Well, I only need the jerseys

and the soccer cleats. Yeah, that's it.

Jersey and cleats, okay?

That's it.

Just a jersey and soccer cleats.

-This is the microphone.

-Stop.

Well, probably

Monday or Wednesday evening,

because nobody's here in the mornings.

That'd be great, thanks.

-Can you Can you help us do our show?

-Wow.

-What show?

-We're TV interviewers.

Wow! Let's see.

Uh, hello, Jorgelina, I have a question.

Uh

-Let me start.

-No! All right, fine.

Uh Hello Mía, how are you?

I have a question for you.

What do you think

about all those journalists

that said that your dad should stop

playing for the national team and retire?

He proved they were

full of sh*t, didn't he?

Sorry. I didn't mean that!

We didn't call him up

for the national team,

and I still think, uh, it was

the right move at the time

but it wasn't

it wasn't, uh, because of his playing.

I think we were all at Ezeiza

when the news first broke.

Basically it was just Leo called him.

When I called him he'd just just

wrapped up that interview he was doing.

I picked up the phone,

and started crying before I said hello.

And then he started crying too.

And he said, "Are you an idiot?

Why'd you have to talk about it?"

Di María! Goal!

Ángel is so important

to his teammates that

it could actually affect them.

Not everybody can handle that pressure.

"Call me up, even as a substitute."

"That's fine, I'll wait, because I'm sure

I'll still get to play at some point."

I told him why I did it,

and that I'd call him up.

Do you remember when

I told him to quit the team?

Quit the team

and just keep playing in Paris?

Go drink coffee by the Eiffel Tower?

Do you remember that? What if he did?

-You did tell him that, didn't you?

-Imagine if he did. Thank God he didn't!

We both got excited because he's

he's more than just an extraordinary

soccer player, he's also just

He's also a great guy.

So you get excited just talking with him.

That's when my life changed then 100%.

Everything that's happened to me since

that one phone call has been glory.

Yeah, just glory.

Pure and simple.

ÁNGEL DI MARÍA:

BREAKING DOWN THE WALL

I'm on my knees begging.

THE DI MARÍA FRAUD

I'm begging.

As a fan of the national team,

I beg you, Scaloni.

Stop signing Di María to the team, please.

Please don't do it anymore!

You're screwing us. You didn't want him,

you didn't meet with him!

You only called him up again

because of his statements,

because Messi wanted him, etc, etc.

So please

That man on TV kneeling down, that was

MOTHER

That was terrible.

I can't believe someone would go that far.

Yes, I remember.

I'm his calendar, mentally.

Do you keep a list?

Yes, I have a list and at first

I was taking notes of what was said

but there was

just too much to keep track of.

'Cause everyone was just sh1tting on him,

so I thought instead

I should take note of

of the few who'd been

supporting him from the start.

HE'S SUCH A POOR PLAYER.

WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR THE TEAM?

HE SHOULD LET OTHERS PLAY.

A SHAKE-UP IS NEEDED.

When we talk about

Di María playing for Argentina,

we have to talk about

his countless injuries.

He's here, and then gone again.

People often forget this is a

a person they're talking about.

And they just talk. Without thinking.

How long do we have

to put up with him?

He's always injured. Stay in Europe, kid.

I told him to give it up.

FATHER

I was telling him it wasn't worth

getting hassled like that

when he was giving it his best shot

with the national team for so long.

But he said, "Ma, Pa, don't watch the TV"

"Don't buy the newspaper.

Don't even look at the newspaper."

Di María isn't fit for the

national team. He's had plenty of chances.

Eventually, you get used to it,

and you grow a thicker skin

so it doesn't affect you.

So you can continue to enjoy playing

and keep on giving it your best.

But this journey hurts the people we love.

And they suffer.

A HUGE FRAUD

Di María's time is over.

Those were hard times for him.

And for the family.

Yeah, they were all just so critical.

And he

SISTER

He didn't deserve it.

I guess they know

that it was painful for us,

but they'll never understand

how painful it was for his parents.

It was very painful.

To hear people criticizing our family.

And they just kept on going,

one after the other.

I'm pretty strong.

When something happens, well

Well, I don't know, I can just let it go.

But his parents can't,

and that affected me.

Because I wasn't crying,

but I saw both of them

crying a lot because of him.

And it happened a lot with people

shouting at the stadiums,

"Di María is dead!"

"You don't belong on the field!"

"Get lost Di Maria!"

"Get off the field, loser!"

All this bitching and insults,

and his parents were

sitting next to me just crying.

Did you ever consider retirement?

Yes I did, many times.

The thought crossed my mind a lot.

I told him, "Don't even think about it."

"You only retire

when you're at the top of your game!"

"No way can you quit

when things aren't going your way."

"Darling, you keep trying

until you run out of chances."

I'm picturing a whole TV series

for Rhino here you know?

Where he scores goals at every final!

I'm serious Rhino-boy,

I could make this series happen!

I'll have you score the goal,

move the ball, score again

-Okay, okay!

-Against Brazil too! Heh?

Sounds good to me!

But we need to wait

until after Copa América.

And we all need to start doing this.

Nobody can retire

unless they give gifts to everyone!

If you're too cheap for that,

and you want to keep playing, you can

just go on until you reach 50 or so.

Even if you're gassed and they're

just scoring goal after goal on you.

Are you gonna make the series with

that hair, or are you gonna get a haircut?

I'll be rocking a mane.

Didn't you see Beckham's series, dumbass?

Come on, man. I mean it.

Come on, gimme a break,

I'll get it fixed tomorrow.

-Yeah, you need to.

-I gotta go.

-Good to see you, bro. Bye.

-Talk to you soon. Love you, man.

Thanks. Me too. Bye.

They've always been

heroes to us, all this time.

So to be able to now turn that admiration

into a friendship is

is just amazing, right?

Because I really enjoy what we have.

Finally, the Copa América

will be played in Brazil,

according to CONMEBOL

after a virtual meeting.

IT'S NOW OR NEVER

Some people

were saying things like

Ángel would be off the team

if we lost the Copa América, you know?

So it was hard for us too.

We were all very confident.

We all believed that in the end

things would be all right, and

And most importantly,

we knew how we needed to play.

2021 COPA AMÉRICA - BRAZIL

We are now seeing CONMEBOL's

tribute to Diego Armando Maradona.

It's the first Copa América without him.

I don't think there's ever been anyone

who fought for the Argentine jersey

or flag the way that Maradona did.

He was rooting from the other side.

I'm sure of it.

Di María is giving them

a hard time on the right wing.

Messi shoots!

Messi on the left with a cross!

Otamendi blasts the ball away.

That's a foul against Di María.

Di María with a pass. Argentina scores!

Messi lobs the ball over, and he scores!

Argentina qualifies for the round of 16,

and will face Ecuador.

Lautaro shoots, and he scores!

Di María is getting close

Free kick by Messi, and that's a goal!

We're facing Colombia in the semifinals!

Lautaro! And he scores!

Díaz scores for Colombia!

Dibu Martínez with a spectacular save!

Brazil is waiting at Maracanã.

Will Argentina make it this time?

I knew this was my last chance.

If we didn't make it

or lost the final, then that

that'd be the end.

Nothing after that.

And now,

it's Argentina versus Chile in the final!

Going into that final,

we were doing great,

and felt really good about ourselves.

We had done a great job to get there,

and we felt like we were ready.

But then

We knew we were up against

a great Argentina team that day.

But what we were telling ourselves

was that they couldn't beat us.

Other than Messi,

we knew that Di María was the one

that could make things difficult for us.

Di María, full speed!

But Beausejour is there,

and Argentina loses the ball.

Getting injured really hit me hard.

The game may be over

for Di María, who seems injured.

There's no doubt that when they lost

Di María, that really worked in our favor.

This is a great loss

for the Argentine team!

DI MARÍA MISSES ANOTHER FINAL

I know there are some pictures

where you see me

just sitting on the ground.

But I wasn't crying in those.

Because I thought the worst possible thing

that could happen to me

had already happened at the World Cup.

I mean I mean, again?

The same sh*t all over again?

"He's sh*t himself!" That's what we said.

Here's Higuaín

He missed his shot!

Bravo has stopped Banega!

Now here comes Alexis

Chile has won!

Chile has won! Chile has done it!

They've won the Copa América tournament!

And another colossal

failure for Argentina!

COWARDS!

ARGENTINE TRADITION: BEING RUNNERS-UP

Everybody wanted our heads

because we'd lost several finals,

and some of the comments

were just meant to hurt.

It's one thing to criticize,

but these things were, uh

meant deliberately to hurt us,

and our families, and friends,

and people we love.

It's painful.

2016 COPA AMÉRICA - USA

I got injured again during

the second game of the 2016 Copa América.

A substitution?

Unbelievable.

Is it just bad luck,

or is there more to it?

I went through

the same thing again,

and that's when I realized

that my mental state just wasn't good.

Di María's in position

He missed it!

I played in the final again,

but I really wasn't feeling all there.

And again we lost to

Chile in the shootout.

The penalty

shootout starts now!

Here comes Messi And he misses!

It became clear that this wasn't

going to happen for us,

that things just weren't working this way.

Silva versus Romero.

Silva shoots!

Chile has won the tournament

twice in a row!

And we lost

the tournament again.

Argentina loses!

Chile has won!

Winning the tournament twice in

a row against Argentina was unbelievable.

It was an epic moment for us,

and we even joked afterwards

that we thought we'd

just sent Messi into retirement.

I gave it my all, I tried.

It's been four finals and I couldn't win,

despite giving it everything I had.

And yes, it's painful to say,

but it's obvious

that this isn't meant for me.

When he said "I'm done," it was

It was done for all of us. You know?

If we can't win with him, it's like

it'd be impossible otherwise.

That's when we hit rock bottom,

and we realized

the way we've been doing things

is not working.

Psychologically, physically, we were just

We We were just completely exhausted.

We were all just done.

When I criticized Di María,

I think the evidence was all there.

He had countless opportunities

with Argentina.

The World Cup in 2010,

the World Cup in 2014,

Copa América 2011, Copa América 2015,

Copa América 2016,

Copa América 2019, the 2018 World Cup

And he just kept getting injured.

Welcome back,

everyone, to the Copa América of 2021!

Where we're getting ready for the one

we've all been waiting for, the final!

I really wasn't expecting

to play in the final because

the team had been doing well without me.

They'd been playing well.

Then Scaloni called us in the morning,

and, well

Mainly, he just wanted to tell us,

and he was crying,

and he said he had faith in us,

he'd support us until the very end,

and he was grateful to us

for everything we had achieved.

Ángel had been playing well.

This was his moment.

He was hell-bent, that much was obvious.

And I just felt it was his time.

These players

wear their jerseys with pride,

and this was the time

Time for the real players to step up

and show everybody what they're made of.

We had mixed feelings, and

on one hand,

we got to play in another final,

and it's a big deal

to play at Maracanã against Brazil.

On the other hand,

we were worried about

coming up short again in a final.

Not again, you know?

You have guys

that have won it all,

saying that this is their last dance.

It's either victory,

or if you lose, permanent retirement.

The first half was about technique and

it was a pretty even game.

It was also very physical.

The way soccer games are in South America.

My son Agustín sent me a message

the night before and wrote,

"I'm worried but I have faith."

And then, he added, "one-nil Di María."

All lower case, no stress mark.

"one nil di maría."

Like a teenager.

And I thought to myself,

what if he's right?

What if do we win with only one goal,

one to zero, and the goal is Di María's?

The day before, Ángel Correa told us

the player on the left wing for Brazil

was not playing his best.

So, Di María spoke with De Paul.

He told him to look for an opening,

and that he'd be ready for it.

And it worked.

I had the ball

just before the halfway line.

And when I saw Ángel,

I knew he was going to go for it.

Rodrigo gave me

a very precise pass. It was perfect.

His timing to start

his run was incredible.

And then his ball control

was even better than the goal itself.

Goal!

After the pass,

I was able to control the ball,

and get it on my left foot

so I could chip it over the keeper.

And then I celebrated

the goal of my dreams,

the one I've always wanted

to score for Argentina.

Let's go, Argentina!

Come on!

After that I felt like

we could win the game.

I believed we could win from then on.

At one point they had five attackers.

They had Vinícius Jr,

Richarlison, Neymar, Paquetá,

I even think Gabigol was

attacking at some point.

Neymar was unstoppable in the second half.

They were definitely playing me

a little rougher all of that second half.

Just to try and slow him down,

Guido, Otamendi and Germán

were getting physical with him,

but it wasn't stopping Neymar at all.

I was afraid he'd score.

It was always somebody different

who was fouling me,

so they wouldn't get a red card.

One foul each. That was the deal.

Argentina keeps

collecting yellow cards.

It worked, because in the end,

we ran out of time,

and we never managed to score.

Ladies and gentlemen,

finally, Argentina, after 28 years!

Argentina has finally won the tournament!

It's done, Leo! It's done!

I think that's when it started.

It all began after that big victory.

Our win over Brazil at Maracanã.

The many Argentine fans here

are going crazy, as you would expect.

It's crazy the way things happened,

and of course

he and I had both gone through something

similar with all the negative talk,

and plus for him all of the finals

he missed due to injuries.

But Ángel

Ángel somehow managed to turn it

all around by leading us to victory and

and scoring the winning goal.

Argentina are the champions!

Messi is holding the cup,

and they are celebrating!

Ladies and gentlemen,

Argentina has won the Copa América!

Brazil, tell me how it feels ♪

To have our daddy in your house ♪

I swear that even as the years pass ♪

As soon as the game ended,

I got in the car and started honking.

I called Ángel and I showed him the people

through the camera,

and I was yelling to them,

"Hey, here's Di María!"

And people stopped to look! It was crazy.

Come on, Argentina! Let's go! Let's go!

Baby, I love you.

What a goal you scored, thank you!

Because I stop playing my role as a wife.

I am I'm Argentine!

I loved soccer long before I met Ángel.

I used to set the alarm

for the Olympic Games

before I even knew who he was.

That's the way

it needed to happen.

Scoring at the final,

playing the way I did

It had to be just one goal.

And I knew that one goal

had to be mine alone.

I now have Ángel on my arm.

That's the exact message

that my son sent me.

Even though there was

only one goal scored,

we all earned the title

of champion in that final.

It was a great final.

Come on, perri!

Turn it. Turn it facing this way!

You're going to see Messi

He will bring the cup home ♪

Maradona is greater than Pelé ♪

Brazil ♪

This is the jersey he wore

when we won the final against Brazil.

It was insane.

Ángel just chipped the ball in so easy!

That's how he did it.

I was watching the game here,

in the kitchen.

And I was talking with my boy,

and my wife was right behind me.

And afterwards we talked on the phone.

We did it! You see? We did it!

I love you.

Thank you for always

supporting me all these years!

I love you.

You see? The wall had to break eventually,

and finally it broke.

I failed many times, but I didn't give up

no matter how many times that happened.

I never gave up, Dad.

I kept going,

just the way you two taught me.

I never gave up,

and we finally did it.

We finally did it.

I love you.

It's incredible, it's

It lives forever.

There was nothing I wanted more

than to win for Argentina.

Nothing.

I wanted to do it for my father,

and and also for my grandad.

They both struggled

when they were about to make it.

Something always managed

to go wrong for them

just when it seemed like

the time was right.

But the third time?

Third time, huh?

Third time's the charm, isn't it?

I'm the one that managed to accomplish it.

A lot of time

had to pass in order to get us here.

I got drunk out of my mind at times.

So many setbacks.

"Tomorrow can wait,"

I told him, many times.

I'd finally accomplished

what Dad and I wanted so much.

To win a championship trophy

while playing for Argentina.

And after that? I didn't know it,

but the best was yet to come.

Come here. Come here.

Wait, wait!

We're all coming out!

-Daddy! Daddy!

-I love you.

Oh baby, baby! I love you so much!

You were so amazing!

I love you!

SOUTH AMERICAN SOCCER ISN'

AS DEVELOPED AS IN EUROPE

There were some people

saying that we had no real competition,

that we weren't playing

against European teams,

only against other South American teams.

So only Brazil mattered.

None of our other successes even counted.

I didn't really

dwell too much on all of that.

On the contrary, I was motivated,

and I think guys like Ángel were too.

The way to have this, uh

kind of conversation

is out on the field, and we knew

we were going to have to go to Europe.

We had to get to Wembley,

and then defeat the European champion.

We played against the best in Europe,

and it was, uh

It was a nice way to find out

that we were up to it.

Messi gets the pass.

He hides the ball, he turns and sprints.

Lautaro just ahead,

Messi sprints and crosses. Lautaro!

And he scores! Goal!

Goal!

We gave an excellent performance.

And I think we showed that

Argentina is as good as, uh,

any European team, if not better.

Dibu sends the ball forward

Dibu made the goal kick.

I had to squeeze past the defender,

but I made it around him.

And when I got free,

I could see Ángel was alongside me

looking for a long through pass.

Ángel was one-on-one

with the goalkeeper.

I wanted him to chip it so bad!

And Di María, scores!!

Di María has scored again at a final!

Goal!

I scored again in a final.

And against the European champs.

So many things were said after that,

but the stadium was full of Argentines,

all cheering for us.

And everybody in Europe

that had been disrespecting us

shut the hell up about it after that,

because we showed them

how good Argentina is.

and he scores!

We were playing without stress,

and with a lot of character.

I think that day was

unforgettable for all of us.

We finally came to terms

with our playing style.

And I think we thought even more,

if this is within our reach,

then so is the World Cup.

This one's for you, Captain!

Argentina has won the Finalissima!

Argentina has crushed Italy

three-nil here at Wembley,

and the dream of Qatar is feeling closer!

Let's go, Argentina!

SOUTH AMERICA 3 EUROPE 0

The story could've ended there.

But there was more. A lot more.

We hadn't lost a match

in two or three years.

We were now considered

one of the favorites.

And we had earned that, 100%.

And now we had to

live up to it.

2022 WORLD CUP - QATAR

-All right, here you go.

-Thank you. Oh, my God!

I'm recording too!

Wow!

Whoo!

The thing about

positive energy and all that,

it's always in the back of my mind.

I really, really believe in that stuff,

you know?

All four of us have one of these, and

Mine has a medallion that grandma gave me.

People say that

the only time these fall off

is if you're receiving

a lot of bad energy from outside.

Ángel's came off

at the World Cup.

Everybody was saying

our game against Saudi Arabia

was going to be a really easy one,

so we were feeling a certain confidence.

I think we bought into that idea

that it would be an easy victory.

So we went in taking it a bit for granted

like it was just another game,

and that there was no question

we were going to win. And then

They scored twice,

like, completely out of nowhere.

Two great goals, and we lost.

Saudi Arabia shakes

things up at the World Cup!

They've made history

by beating

the previously undefeated Argentine team!

Enough of that! More than ever,

we now need to rally behind our boys!

After the Saudi Arabia loss,

losing to Mexico

would mean the end for us.

Then Ángel said, "I need

something from you sweetheart."

"I need you to get me some red string."

The energy was always here.

But I knew this would give me

a little boost. It was just a boost.

Just like a little bit extra.

And so,

before I left Turin on my way to Qatar,

I decided not to buy just one,

but a whole roll of red string,

just in case.

And he could just cut off what he needed.

So I got there,

and when I told him that

I hadn't brought just one piece,

but that I had a whole roll of red string,

he said, "Bring it to me."

"Give it to me now."

I gave one to each of our

starters, so they could feel protected.

So they could feel safe, and get the

same confidence boost I was getting.

When someone gives you something

it makes you feel sort of different,

know what I mean?

I know it's like that for me.

It always makes me feel different.

Enzo asked me,

"What's this for?"

I said "Ángel gave it to us,

put it in your sock,

and go play, and don't ask questions."

We all respect

each other's beliefs completely.

So I had no problem.

I really believe there was power in them

because I'd even blessed them

with holy water

before I gave them to everybody.

I sprinkled holy water over each

one so they were the real deal.

They didn't even ask

why he was giving them out.

No one was gonna question it

once they knew it was Di María behind it.

And I don't care what

Those f*cking journalists say ♪

They can all go to hell ♪

Oh oh oh oh

We're supporting Argentina ♪

I remember thinking

before the Mexico game,

there was only one way

that game was going to go.

Only one possibility.

And it wasn't going to be smooth

or fluid or seamless or easy.

It was going to be rough.

Where is Messi?

Where is Messi? I can't see him!

People were shouting, "Where's Messi?"

But I always know where he is.

Di María finds Messi!

He passes! Messi has it!

And Messi scores for Argentina!

It was a quick pass.

It had to be quick, so I kicked

the ball as hard as I could.

He controlled it perfectly.

And he finished with a great shot.

A great finish.

Ángel's pass, not only did he put the ball

exactly where he should have,

but he hit it hard enough

to get it there in a hurry.

They've played together all their careers,

and at this point,

they know how to pass a ball. No surprise.

Ángel thought fast,

and immediately recognized

Messi was in front of him.

I especially liked that

it was those two who started it off.

To help the team take its first step

toward our objective.

Argentina remains

in the World Cup!

They've beaten Mexico, two-nil!

I think after that game

ARGENTINA NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM

the team had more confidence

getting ready for Poland.

And we rolled over them.

I started feeling

a little pain during the game,

here in my quad.

But I kept playing.

I felt like I was still moving okay.

He should've told us about

even the smallest problem.

But I get it, it's hard for him

to admit something's wrong,

because his commitment

to Argentina is just so strong.

At one point,

I was with Messi near the box,

and I turned quick to my right,

and I felt a little bit more pain.

That's when I went to the coach,

and I told him he needed

to send in a sub for me.

A GHOST FROM THE PAS

DI MARÍA SUFFERS INJURY AGAINST POLAND

We were playing

against the Netherlands, and there was

I still felt a little pain down there.

I was angry. I got mad.

"There's nothing wrong with you, baby.

It's your last World Cup, Ángel."

I told him I was going to the bench,

but if he needed me in the field,

I'd go in.

The Netherlands were particularly scary

because they were playing a specific way,

and they were playing well.

MESSI DOESN'T PARTICIPATE

WHEN HIS TEAM'S ON DEFENSE

Not all countries follow the same rules.

People here don't like it at all

when someone talks smack before a game.

2014 WAS DECIDED BY PENALTIES

AND MESSI DIDN'T TOUCH THE BALL

With all the games we played together,

I've said all I needed to say about it.

He's the worst coach I've ever had.

Angel Di Maria did play for me

for a year at Manchester,

but I didn't know

he had said that about me.

I'm sorry to hear that he said that.

But a coach often has to

make decisions that players don't like.

This man here also

played for me at Manchester.

Memphis Depay.

And you can see we get along

so well that we now kiss each other

on the mouth.

But we won't do that now.

VAN GAAL STEPS INTO THE RING

Here comes Messi,

he dribbles through traffic!

He passes the ball!

Wow, what a pass to Molina!

Molina scores!

We were giving the Netherlands

a hard time right from the start.

They didn't have

any opportunities or chances.

We were up two to zero,

and in a normal match we would have won,

but they brought it

to a tie at the very end.

The score was tied,

and coach told me to warm up.

And I still felt that pain, you know?

It didn't feel as bad, but there

was still a very light sensation.

Does Argentina want to win?

Ángel makes a tight cross.

That was almost a goal! Unbelievable!

It was harder

than it should've been.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,

and in the end, the Netherlands game

turned out to be a victory for us.

ARGENTINA IS IN THE SEMIFINALS!

We won the game on penalties,

even though he said we wouldn't

because he was a master at that.

But you know, at the end of the day,

he ended up shoving all those words

Well, let's say he ended up eating

his own words, to avoid being too graphic.

He has a knack for proving people wrong.

And I think that with this victory

against Van Gaal,

he got even on the soccer field.

-Put your toys away.

-Look who's home!

After the game against Croatia,

the final was four days away.

I trained every day as usual,

but I didn't think I'd be playing

in the final until the last minute.

If you look at the composition

of the French team,

was there any other way to play that game?

Really?

Scaloni already knew what had to be done.

When training was over,

he asked me if I felt all right.

I told him I was feeling good,

and there was no pain.

I was feeling good.

And really, that was it.

Until the very last moment,

he didn't know if he was going to play.

He thought he wouldn't be in the lineup

because of what he heard.

Coach didn't ask me any questions

right before the game.

We didn't talk.

We went for a snack,

and when we went back out

You sort of know your position

on the lineup sheet.

I looked on the right

and Ángel wasn't there.

So he wasn't playing.

I look for my name and it's not there.

So I thought I wasn't playing,

but then I noticed that we had four

players in the back instead of five.

I checked again,

and saw I was playing left wing.

I saw Ángel start tapping his feet

the moment he knew he was playing.

That's an Ángel thing to do.

He's electric.

It was clear to me that

left wing was France's biggest weakness.

And it was clear

that Ángel was in top shape,

that this was the final of a World Cup,

that he wouldn't mind,

and that it was necessary

to play the game that way.

They had me play on the left wing,

when I had only ever played right wing

during the World Cup.

They analyzed the situation,

and they determined

that I could make an impact there.

And they were right.

Welcome

to the World Cup final!

Argentina, you're one

step away from glory!

Here comes Di María and the rest

of the players, ready for the big moment!

For the game that decides everything.

Di María always makes

a difference in finals.

The World Cup is coming to an end.

It sometimes takes that first move,

or even just the opening pass

to feel all the confidence

that you need for a game.

Di María receives the ball,

excellent chest control.

He tries to shake off Koundé.

Now to Tagliafico, and now Mac Allister!

And now to Di María!

He had the ball twice

at the start, and did all right,

so he started getting the ball more.

You want it, you get it.

As people say, I was going all in.

I was determined.

I played the way I normally play.

The way that makes me happy.

Here comes Di María.

He fakes and closes in.

There's contact, that's a penalty!

It doesn't matter

if there was contact or not,

that's a penalty, and that's final!

People keep saying that it wasn't a foul,

but there's contact.

He made contact and that made me fall.

I thought that it was a great dive,

but he says he wasn't.

I always tease him about it. "You're truly

a professional diver, aren't you?"

All of Di María's cunning

can be seen in this play.

He's got plenty of experience.

He's played for the best clubs.

That's the thing.

Whether this is cunning

or something else,

you can only learn it

by playing in the streets.

There's

a little of my hometown,

some experience,

and a bit of everything there.

Cunning is a part of soccer.

If you're going to mark

Di María on the left side,

he'd usually fake and turn left

so he can cross with his dominant foot.

However, he faked,

turned left and then right,

so he was back to his standing foot.

If you're the defender,

and you're facing a player that's still

moving freely after you mark him,

that's bound to make you nervous.

And Di María, one-on-one, is one of

the best soccer players there is.

That was a decisive point in the game.

Here's Messi!

He shoots, and he scores!

Goal!

Ángel is just insanely good.

And if he feels inspired,

he can take anybody to school.

His foul gave us the early lead.

This was his game.

Now we had to pressure them.

rebounded the ball!

Nahuel made an outstanding pass,

and over on the left wing

Ángel had nobody near him.

First thing I do, I pass the ball and run

forward in case Leo was giving it back.

Leo plays fast!

When he gives it to Julio,

I look to my side,

and I see Ángel all alone on the left.

After I crossed to him

he made the most of it.

Di María is by himself,

give it to him!

Mac Allister crosses! Do it, Ángel!

Di María shoots, and he scores!

When Alexis passes the ball,

he doesn't hit it

with the inside of the cleat.

He hits it halfway through,

so it was the perfect pass for me.

He knew the keeper Lloris always

went down early in one-on-ones.

People say he was lucky, but I think

he deliberately chipped the ball.

Whenever I tell this story,

I always have to say,

my teammates are the ones

that made the play work.

They each touched the ball once.

Well, Messi did touch it twice,

so Julián could get to the other side.

It was a great goal.

As much as you want to make

that play happen during training,

it won't work.

That kind of magic

only happens during games,

and it worked because

they're that good. That's it.

I don't say this because we scored it,

but I don't think there's a goal like that

in any World Cup final.

A goal that good, that quick,

we touched the ball three times,

and then we scored.

Goal! Argentina!

When we were

celebrating on the field,

I said to him,

"You scored again in a final."

It's unbelievable.

He scored at every final.

He scored at every final.

You can't have a final

or win a trophy without Di María scoring!

I knew something would happen.

it just had to.

That boy needed to shine, and he did.

I don't know how the cameras found her

because there were

so many people in the stadium.

We were all watching all those passes,

and when it went to Ángel

my heart was in my throat.

And when he scored,

we were all standing and shouting.

My wife was on her seat,

and boom, she just fainted.

I fainted

right there in my seat.

My husband and my daughter

were holding me,

and I felt in such a frenzy,

just full of so much excitement

from the happiness that he'd given us.

I couldn't believe it.

I really couldn't believe it.

I was hugging her,

and we were crying. I couldn't believe it.

We were just ecstatic.

Imagine, scoring again at a final

Di María gets the ball.

He can take a shot.

That's a goal!

Ángel Di María scores!

Looking at that video

it's perfect.

Finally I could pay them back

for what they gave me.

I could repay them with this joy.

God had this special

soccer moment in store for him,

and he was ready to

seize that moment.

It's hard to make out what he says,

but it looks to me like he says, "Diego."

And then you think,

would he be thinking about Maradona?

That Diego?

I'm grateful to Maradona, 100%.

If I said that after the goal,

which I did, it was because of that.

I asked for his help

at the Copa América tournament.

I asked for his help, we wanted to win,

and then I scored the goal, I don't know.

I don't know.

I also scored the goal against Italy.

I don't know, it seems he wanted to be

a part of the World Cup,

and I guess he made me say

his name in order to do it.

There had to be a divine moment

in order for

for things to happen as they did.

Hold tight

to the person by your side!

This is soccer,

with a whole life leading to this!

Ángel, the boy

that hauled coal in Rosario.

The guy playing soccer in the street.

And now your team feels

the cup closer to them,

thanks to you, thanks to Diego,

and thanks to every Argentine

shedding tears of joy back home!

Once Ángel got substituted,

the team lost

a bit of the freshness and attitude

that we had when he was on the field.

Once Ángel went off, the game changed.

Here comes Mbappé. Mbappé!

France scores a goal. I can't believe it.

France and Argentina are tied now.

Unbelievable.

I just couldn't believe

we were going through that.

And then, we went into extra time.

Lautaro shoots!

Messi gets the rebound, and he scores!

The ball is in! Argentina scores!

We were up three to two,

and there were only two minutes left.

We felt the cup was ours.

The cup was ours.

I just wanted the game to end right there.

Sometimes I only saw white,

and there were times

I really felt like sh*t.

I've never felt so bad in my whole life.

Can Kylian Mbappé

rise to this moment for France?

We were about to seize true glory,

and the moment started slipping away.

And it wasn't

our fault at all, because we had done

everything right so far.

Everything. And they just scored

a goal here, a penalty there

Come on, Dibu!

Mbappé shoots!

Mbappé evens the score for France!

This game will be decided by penalties.

Kylian Mbappé has tied it up!

That's soccer.

If aliens were to visit us one day,

and ask about soccer,

just play them this game.

For me, this was the best final ever.

Three all, and decided by penalties

The critical penalty

falls to Montiel.

Even though

Montiel kicks the ball,

he really didn't sh**t.

Forty-five million Argentines

kicked that ball.

Come on, Montiel,

we've got your back.

Montiel shoots!

We've won the World Cup!

Today, I feel proud to be an Argentine!

Once I saw the ball had been kicked

and the goalkeeper dove the other way,

that feeling

there really are no words

to convey the way I felt at the time.

After 36 long years!

I went to my knees

and thanked God

for making my dream come true.

That dream that I've been chasing,

and

that came true with that goal.

It came true as soon as

the ball crossed the line.

That's the dream. Like

when you're little

and start playing soccer,

you start experiencing those things.

You see it on TV,

and people dream about it.

It's just insane.

Holding the cup in your hands,

and you look at it

all the memories just start flooding back,

about all the effort it took,

and it all feels worth it.

The feeling of accomplishment,

that it's all done,

that that all the suffering

is finally behind you.

The way that feels

is impossible to describe,

but I can tell you

that it's the most beautiful thing that

you can ever experience.

That's right, Captain!

It took 36 years,

but you're holding the cup!

Say it out loud!

We have won the World Cup!

Thank you, guys! Thank you, Argentina!

All of Argentina is

celebrating this victory with you!

We were holding each

other tight and crying,

and he said, "Look, Mom! It's done."

"Everything that you suffered,

everything that Dad suffered."

"All those years, it's all done."

"We won the cup. And I scored."

Yeah

The excitement, I

I couldn't believe it.

I couldn't.

So many trips.

This was our fourth World Cup.

We didn't make it,

didn't make it, didn't make it.

But this time we did.

He wouldn't have made it

that far if he lacked that foundation.

If his parents weren't

right behind him when he was little,

he wouldn't be here.

His life at home was a crucial aspect.

I cut out a piece of the net,

where Ángel scored the goal.

I cut out a couple of pieces.

From the same place.

As a player you never like to lose,

but I will say that

if I have to lose to someone,

I would want it to be

someone like Ángel Di Maria.

I've played against him with Brazil,

and I've also played with him at PSG,

and I know he's a good person.

For me, what touched me more

in the World Cup,

you know, was that family

that family, that group of brothers,

that had something in their minds,

and they were ready to do anything to

to go back home with the cup.

On that bus looking around,

you couldn't imagine it moving.

With that crowd,

we weren't going anywhere.

We drank wine, of course!

What do you want? Should we be

drinking water as world champions?

Or orange juice?

You know what we did after?

After all that, we needed

two or three days to recover.

We were exhausted

just from the sun and everything.

And Ángel, that old fart, he must've

felt even more wasted after all that.

I was feeling great.

I look great for 35.

The day after that,

I just went home and had a barbecue.

My skin was red and I felt exhausted

after being out in the sun,

but other than that, I felt good.

Let's go, champ! Let's go, champ! ♪

Let's go, champ! Let's go, champ! ♪

That was

one of the best days of my life,

as a soccer fan and a friend.

It was something else.

FRIEND

Let's go, champ! Let's go, champ! ♪

I was so happy to be hosting

Ángel Di María at my house.

He brought his medal, he showed us all.

I even hung it on the Christmas tree,

right next to my daughter's picture.

He had become a world champion.

He tasted glory and touched the skies,

and he let us be a part of that.

That was great.

We'll always be grateful for that.

He doesn't realize

how good he is.

He has no clue

where he stands with the great ones.

And he scores!

Di María scores!

I think Ángel's story

is the story not just of him,

but his family, his friends

Fideo! Fideo!

about overcoming setbacks.

It's about virtues, sacrifice.

We lived something similar, he and I.

We went through very similar things,

and hard times, and we finally did it.

We finally won with Argentina.

He's up there with the greatest Argentine

soccer players of all time.

And he's the same guy that left Rosario.

He kept hitting his head against the wall,

and he kept on fighting.

He must be a woodpecker.

He really broke the wall.

He's the same person,

even as the champion he's become,

and even with all the trophies he's won.

Even with all the successes he's earned.

He never gave up.

Of the two paths,

he chose the toughest one,

because he had one dream.

Dreams can come true with effort,

sacrifice and endurance.

And I think he deserved

to have his come true.

It all was very tough,

and I think that made us

enjoy the good times more as well.

He fought against a system

that's so full of fakeness

and unwarranted criticism,

and he proved that everything is possible.

That it can happen.

I did think that Di María

was a thing of the past.

I was wrong, and I apologize.

It's the only thing that

I regret in all of my career.

I did sometimes question

if playing soccer was the right choice

after the thing with my coach.

And sometimes when things

didn't go well with the national team.

But

I always had an angel by my side.

My wife pushed me

to keep on chasing my dream,

and before that it was my mom,

who always told me to keep

playing soccer when I was little.

I always had an angel by my side,

holding my hand going down the road.

All the things that were said

and done were behind us, it was done.

He won three cups.

His professional triumphs, his family,

and everything that he did,

I think it was all worth it.

Here comes Di María

Di María scores!

Seeing Ángel making

his dream come true was beautiful.

SISTER

If we had to do it all over again,

I definitely would.

He never gave up,

and he "broke the wall," as he said.

I tell him,

"These people love you, Ángel."

"They do. Realize

how important you are to them."

Because sometimes I feel

like he doesn't get that.

He's shown us it's worth trying,

and that life favors the bold.

Life and the world favor the bold.

Things can go wrong,

but they may go right.

Things can go right too.

And 36 years later,

Argentina is world champion again!

This is just how we Argentines feel.

It's the thing we want so badly.

The thing

The thing that every four years

we want to see when we come home.

We We want to see the cup.

I always notice it when I come back home.

You just can't miss it.

I mean

every time

I give it a kiss.

And I don't think that'll ever change.

It's always there, shining.

It won't get dirty, it's almost as if

As if dirt won't stick to it.

It means the world to me.

It's all I ever dreamed of.

ÁNGEL DI MARÍA RETIRED

FROM INTERNATIONAL DUTY ON JULY 14, 2024.

THAT SAME DAY,

HE WON HIS SECOND COPA AMÉRICA.

FOR THE ARGENTINA NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM,

HE RANKS THIRD FOR MOST APPEARANCES,

SECOND FOR ASSISTS, AND SEVENTH FOR GOALS.

HE RANKS SECOND AMONGST ARGENTINES

FOR MOST TROPHIES WON,

AND IS TOP 10 WORLDWIDE FOR THE SAME FEAT.

HE WON 19 CLUB TOURNAMENTS FOR PSG,

6 FOR REAL MADRID, AND 4 FOR BENFICA.

HE WON THE 2014 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE,

RANKING THIRD ALL-TIME IN ASSISTS.

HE WON SIX COMPETITIONS FOR ARGENTINA:

THE 2007 U-20 WORLD CUP,

2008 OLYMPICS, 2021 COPA AMÉRICA,

FINALISSIMA 2022, 2024 COPA AMÉRICA,

AND 2022 WORLD CUP.