Angel Di Maria: The Journey of ‘Noodle’ from Rosario to Stardom

Angel Di Maria Childhood Story Plus Untold Biography Facts

Angel Di Maria’s story is one of resilience, talent, and an unwavering spirit that led him from the streets of Rosario to the pinnacle of international football. Known affectionately as “Noodle” for his slender frame and agility, Di Maria’s tale is not just about his prowess on the field but also the relationships and family life that shaped him into the icon he is today.

Dive into the captivating account of Di Maria’s rise, exploring the milestones and the lesser-known facets of his life that contribute to the legacy of a true football legend.

Angel di Maria Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:

For Biography starters, Ángel Fabián Di María Hernández was born on St. Valentine’s day, 14th of February, 1988, in Rosario, Argentina.

Aside from Christian Eriksen and Edinson Cavani, Di María is the most successful footballer in the public eye to have entered the world on St Valentine’s Day 1988.

Angel di Maria's Early Years.
Angel di Maria’s Early Years – clear signs of his humble beginnings.

Growing up in Perdriel, he was one of the three children of his mother, Diana Hernández, and father, Miguel Di María.

As an infant, Angel di Maria was unusually active in sports and, on a doctor’s recommendation, was signed up for football at age three.

Angel began to practice football after his physician recommended the boy’s parents let him go for sports in order to give way to his bursting energy.

“I was restless as a child, and I was hyperkinetic. The doctor told me: ‘The boy has to do some sport, and he will be calmer.’ And instead of karate, we prefer him to play football.”

Even while he played football, he also helped his parents with their work at a local coal yard along with his two sisters, Vanesa and Evelyn.

Angel di Maria’s Early Life with Football:

Because of the low income his family earned, purchasing football boots and keeping up with Di María’s hobbies was difficult for his parents.

Young Angel di Maria, in his early footballing years.
Young Angel di Maria was in his early footballing years.

According to Angel Di Maria, …“It’s something I will always keep inside me. For me to play football and have boots meant my two sisters went without,”

He said in an interview. “It was a horrible existence, and when the weather was bad, all they had was a metal roof over their heads.

Both I and my sisters worked in the coal yard as well. I started aged ten, and by the time I was 15, I was helping with deliveries. It was hard work.”

It is pertinent to state that Di María joined the local club Rosario Central in 1995 (having been noticed at the age of seven playing for a tiny local team and bought in exchange for 30 footballs) and graduated from the youth academy in 2005.

As I update Angel Di Maria’s Bio, he has just made history with his country.

He, alongside fellow PSG teammates Lionel Messi and Leandro Paredes, has won the long-awaited Copa America for Argentina. The rest of his Bio, as they say, is now history.

Jorgelina Cardoso and Angel Di Maria Love Life:

To start with, Angel Di Maria’s love story is centred around one woman.

She is no other than the blonde Argentinian, Jorgelina Cardoso, who is about five years older than him. Jorgelina is known all around Argentina for her well-toned body beauty. This was why Di Maria approached her during his career heights at Benfica.

At a time, he was named “Magic Tri Maria” by all newspapers in Portugal. A time he was backed by Diego Maradona to become “Argentina’s next superstar.”

Argentine media described Jorgelina as the biggest fan of her football-playing husband, and she is not afraid to box the ears of anyone who dares criticize Di Maria. It took no time before Di Maria named her as his manager.

Jorgelina Cardoso was the brain behind the success of the Argentine. With her, Di Maria became more confident on the pitch.

This earned him a move to Real Madrid, as announced shockingly by the Portuguese Stock Exchange regulating entity.

After seeing all these successes, Angel Di Maria decided to cement his love for his fellow Argentine Jorgelina (née Cardoso). They got married in 2011 (two years after they met).

Angel di Maria and Jorgelina Cardoso's wedding ceremony.
Angel di Maria and Jorgelina Cardoso’s wedding ceremony.

Birth of Daughter:

In 2013, their daughter Mia was born. Because of her ill health, the girl had to stay in the hospital for two months.

It was a very difficult period, “Jorgita” posted on her Instagram account.
It was a very difficult period, “Jorgita” posted on her Instagram account.

Mia was born three months premature and survived after treatment at an intensive care unit at the Hospital Universitario Montepríncipe in Madrid.

Thankfully, Mia survived her scare. On her first birthday, Jorgelina published photos on Instagram, writing, “Nobody but Dad and I know how painful it was to see your face covered with medical cables.”

She continued…

“There is nothing sadder than to go home from the hospital with empty arms. Tears soaked our pillows every night.

And now we can say that you are a strong, healthy, happy girl. You won the battle for your life, for our lives.”

The Argentine Baller and his Wife once celebrated their daughter's birthday.
The Argentine Baller and his Wife once celebrated their daughter’s birthday.

Angel Di Maria Family Life:

To start with, Angel Di Maria’s family were not the richest of the lot in La Ceramica. He comes from a poor family background.

Today, Di Maria considers himself to be a “family man” and has used a significant amount of his salary to “give back” to his family.

After being transferred to Benfica, he asked his father not to work anymore and purchased a house for his parents and sisters.

Ángel’s old man, Miguel, was a decent footballer, too, but his dream of becoming a River Plate player was shattered after he suffered a career-ending knee injury before he was due to make his debut.

Instead, he worked in a coal yard for 16 years, earning a meagre wage.

Sharing a room with his two sisters, Miguel’s son Ángel soon realised that football was his chance to achieve a better life (Lionel Messi was also reared in Rosario, although his middle-class upbringing paved the way for a rather more gilded childhood).

In his words….“I often think how lucky I am to have football. I was a terrible student. If I didn’t have football, I would have continued to work in the coal yard. What else would I have done? 

I was heartbroken for my father because he could have played football but got a serious knee injury playing for River Plate Reserves.

My mother always reminds me how lucky I am and that I am doing what my father wanted to do; I am living his dream,” he remembers.

About Angel Di Maria’s Mother:

Diana Hernández, the mother of Ángel Di María, is the main brain behind her son’s involvement in football.

Her husband was afraid of choosing football as a career choice for his son, considering his failure in the sport. Knowing that her husband was still passionate about soccer, she pushed him to accept what was to come.

She decided that Little Angel, her first child, would play football after a doctor recommended Little Angel should be put to practice a sport (Martial arts or Football) to control his youthful hyperactivity.

Aside from his wife, Jorgelina Cardoso, Diana Hernández remains her son’s second biggest fan.

Diana Hernández- Di Maria’s second biggest fan

Angel Di Maria Sisters:

They are two in number – his younger siblings. Angel De Maria’s sisters go by the names Evelyn Di María Hernández and Vanesa Di María Hernández.

Back in the day, Evelyn and Vanesa were instrumental in helping their parents and elder brother (Angel) with work at the local coal yard.

Angel Di Maria Biography Facts – Tattoo Fact:

Like many footballers, he is keen on his tattoos. Before he left for Benfica, he and six childhood friends all had the same phrase inked on their left forearm:

“To be born in El Perdriel was and will be the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life.”

This is the case of the Argentine, as seen below.

Di Maria Tattoo Facts

Why he kept silent while being prosecuted at Real Madrid:

Once upon a time, Real Madrid wanted to sell the winger despite his good performance at the club.

This was when they splashed out a world-record £80 million for Gareth Bale, another left-footer (who has the same heart-shaped goal-scoring celebration, too), but Di María stood firm.

He never requested a showdown with the club as to why he was hated. He kept cool, apparently because his daughter was seriously unwell at the time.

Impressively, the winger refused to allow his personal drama to influence his showing for his club and even scored the winner in the Madrid derby versus Atlético just five days after she was born.

He was still sold despite winning the UEFA man of the match in the 2014 Champions League Final. As of the time of writing, rumours exist that he might be moving to FC Barcelona to take his revenge.

Angel Di Maria Arab Looks and Nickname:

Have you noticed Angel has the appearance of people from the Arab nation?… Probably, his family ancestry has a trace to the nation. Additionally, his nickname is ‘Fideo’, the Noodle, on account of his skinny physique, as observed below.

Despite not being physically imposing, Angel is very hard-working by nature. Even as a natural striker, he has defensive tendencies.

Angel Di Maria Bio – Prison Sentence:

In mid-2017,  Angel Di Maria was sentenced to one year in prison after admitting to tax fraud.

The charge relates to an image rights deal from the Argentine star’s time with Real Madrid.  He is said to have defrauded the Spanish government out of £1.14 million during his four-year spell at the Bernabeu.

He has reportedly admitted to both counts of fraud and will pay a fine of £1.76 million – avoiding a trial at the Spanish Supreme Court.

Despite being handed the prison sentence, Di Maria is highly unlikely to spend any time behind bars. Sentences of under two years are suspended in Spain, providing the convicted has no criminal record.

Why he left United:

The unfortunate incident happened during his time at Manchester United. Di María’s home in Prestbury, Cheshire, was burgled on the 31st of January 2015.

His wife couldn’t return home after the break-in by thieves at the former Manchester United winger’s house. This got her shaken up all day and marked the beginning of an end in his stay at Manchester United and England.

Despite being given around-the-clock security by United, Di Maria relocated his family to a faraway hotel. He left United and England at the next transfer window.

An Event that happened the day he was born:

On the day Di María was born,  Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the Moon, married his third wife, Lois Driggs Cannon, at the age of 58.

They are now divorced, and the settlement ensured she was able to retain her Mercedes, which has ‘MOONGAL’ number plates.

Angel Di Maria Idol:

It is not even the Argentine Diego Maradona who is known to have praised Di Maria on several occasions.

As a youngster, his idol was Kily González, the former Valencia and Inter winger, who earned 56 caps for Argentina and was predominantly left-footed, like Di María.

He watched González play for Rosario Central in 1995 and then became his team-mate when promoted to the first team at the age of 17.

Recently, Di María recalled how González became angry at him during a match when he left him exposed on the flank. “Those are things that you never forget,” he said.

Fact Check:

We strive for accuracy and fairness while delivering you the Biography of Argentine Footballers. Without a doubt, the Life History of Alejo Véliz and Alejandro Garnacho will excite you.

If you see something that doesn’t look right in this article, please leave a comment or contact us!

Hi there! I am Hale Hendrix, a passionate football enthusiast and writer dedicated to uncovering the untold stories of footballers' childhood and biography. With a deep love for the beautiful game, I have spent countless hours researching and interviewing players to bring to light the lesser-known details of their lives.

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