Profile Angel Di Maria

Video profile: Angel Di Maria

One of the top players in world football, Angel Di Maria has proved himself at the very highest echelons of the game.

The Argentinian won the 2014 Champions League with Real Madrid and was named Man of the Match after the final triumph over local rivals Atletico, making him hugely popular with the Bernabeu faithful. By increasing his influence in Carlo Ancelotti's side, despite Gareth Bale joining Cristiano Ronaldo at the club last summer, he showed versatility, tenacity and strength of character.

Nobody supplied more assists than the wiry South American in 2013/14's La Liga and his incisive dribbling and passing is an exciting feature of his play. His goalscoring also helped Argentina beat Switzerland in the knockout stages of this summer's World Cup, though injury would unfortunately rule him out of the latter stages of the competition, including the final defeat to Germany.

Before all of this, the left-footed star made his professional debut for Rosario Central in his homeland at the tender age of 17 but spent only two seasons with his first club before earning a move to Europe and Benfica.

Nicknamed 'Fideo' ('Noodle') because of his skinny frame, he won many plaudits with the Estadio da Luz giants as the team claimed the Primeira Liga in 2010 during his final campaign in Portugal. After also scooping two League Cups, he was off to Real Madrid for an initial fee of €25million and fully repaid that investment with a string of stellar displays.

In his four full seasons in the Spanish capital, Di Maria won La Liga in 2012 and two Copa del Reys, in addition toearning the fabled 10th European Cup triumph in 2014 and the UEFA Super Cup. At international level, he was also part of Argentina's victorious teams in the FIFA World Youth Championship and the 2008 Olympic Games.

As such, the gold medalist has many respected admirers in the world of football, with compatriots Diego Maradona and Diego Simeone among those to laud his talents. Interestingly, the latter claimed in the week before the deal was agreed: "He's the best player they [Real] have. He's the most dominant player in pushing the play up the pitch."

It is clear Di Maria has the potential to become a genuine superstar at Old Trafford as he will enjoy his peak years in the red shirt following his record move to Manchester United.