Angel di Maria, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid winger, has been targeted with death threats in his hometown of Rosario following recent comments he made. The 36-year-old has not addressed the issue publicly.
Di Maria expressed his desire to return to Rosario Central, the club where he began his career before moving to Europe with Benfica, to finish his football journey. However, similar to Lionel Messi’s past experiences, his family has received threatening messages.
Although residing in a secure estate, di Maria’s parents received a letter containing menacing content. As reported by Infobae and cited by Marca, the letter warned: “Tell your son Angel not to come back to Rosario again because otherwise we’ll do him by killing a family member. Not even Pullaro is going to save you. We don’t shoot little notes. We shoot lead and dead people.”
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“Pullaro” refers to the Provincial Governor Maximiliano Pullaro. Following the incident, Rosario Central issued a statement expressing their dismay:
“We feel aggrieved, damaged, and hurt because these violent actions directly undermine the economy and sporting success of the clubs. It cannot be tolerated that footballers or their families, who are key figures in sporting events, are intimidated or targeted. Violence against any member of the football community cannot be tolerated.”
As highlighted in the report, gang violence, particularly attributed to “narcoterrorists” or “drug terrorists,” has been escalating in Rosario. While drug cartels have historically caused havoc across Latin America, the issue has been relatively less prominent in Argentina until recent times.
In response to the escalating violence, the Argentine government has increased security measures in Rosario, deploying armed forces to address the situation.