What do you know about Di María to express yourself in such terms? I have followed the player for over ten years. Have you? I know what he is capable of doing and what he is not. I believe I can speak with some authority, after 10 years. In addition, all experts and commentators on TV agree with me and not with you.
Di Maria did not stumble into the third rated team in the world just this year. He was a member of the Argentine U-20, Olympic, and main team for over 10 years! Yes, we did not win the WC, eventhcugh we came very close. We won the U-20 WC 6 times and the Olympic gold medal twice in a row. Di María was a member of the U-20 WC and the Olympic Gold Medal team as well as being an unquestionable member of the main team under 5 or so coaches. To make it to these teams is not that easy.
Everyone here are dying for Dembélé, Siri, Mbape, etc. They are not Iniesta, Coutinho, or Xavi - not even close. They play at one speed going forward. They cannot stop to survey what is taking place on the pitch like Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, Neymar, or even Coutinho are capable of doing.
Iniesta was a pleasure to watch play. He goes forward. He then changes his mind, "let me go back." OK, maybe sideways and no one is able to disposses him of the ball. Messi is not that fast from 0-100 yards. He is a series of lighting bursts from 0-10 in whatever direction. In Argentina we rate players on their ability of what we calle "piques," which are more important for a player than just having sheer speed from 0-100.
"Pique" can be translated as "pick-up" speed or "bursts" of speed from 0-10. If you ever watched Maradona's other goal against England, during the '86 WC, where he dribbled past ~ 8 players, some of them more than once, was done by a series of bursts, stopping several times, changing direction all the time. He did not go very fast from his own side of the field to the other in blazing speed. That is what sets apart good players from very good ones.
