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<p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><p style="display: none;">Article continues below</p><script type="application/json" data-placement="match-schedule">{"type":"match-schedule","data":{"competitionId":"34pl8szyvrbwcmfkuocjm3r6t"}}</script><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script><ul><li>Di Maria lost two Copa finals and the 2014 WC</li><li>The defeats took a heavy toll on the winger</li><li>Remains on medication to cope</li></ul><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va2ivxLJJhzdzbJdwo0n"><strong>Follow GOAL on WhatsApp!</strong></a> 🟢📱</td></tr></tbody></table>

'These things mark you' - Angel Di Maria 'still taking meds' over losing three successive finals with Argentina despite eventual World Cup & Copa America success alongside Lionel Messi

<p>The Benfica winger, who played a crucial role in <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/lists/lionel-messi-completed-football-argentina-world-cup-win-2023-ballon-dor/blt2ef8bfdaf8f38dbc" target="_blank">Argentina’s 2022 World Cup success and Copa America victories</a> in 2021 and 2024, endured a painful three-year period earlier in his career, suffering defeats in the 2014 World Cup final and two Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016. Despite ultimately redeeming himself with <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/messi-completed-football-winners-losers-2022-world-cup-mbappe-runs-riot-ronaldo-ruins-reputation/blt27b495756fd7733b" target="_blank">historic triumphs</a> alongside Lionel Messi, Di Maria has admitted that the scars from those heartbreaking losses have not completely healed.</p>

WHAT HAPPENED?

<p>"Because of that, I’m still taking medication," the former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain star revealed in an interview with <em>Infobae</em>, as reported by <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/43887674/angel-di-maria-meds-argentina-losses" target="_blank"><em>ESPN</em></a>. "I’ve been able to reduce the dosage. I’m doing much better, but these things stay with you. They leave a mark."</p>

WHAT DI MARIA SAID

<p>Di Maria also expressed sympathy for his former Argentina team-mates, many of whom never got the chance to lift an international trophy despite coming agonisingly close.</p><p>"Who remembers the boys that reached that World Cup final and didn't win?" he said. "Very few, it seems unfair to me. Who is talking about those kids? Nobody. Very few can tell you how they played. I said it a lot of times when we became world champions when we won the Copa América, I always said that those trophies were also [thanks] to the previous generation."</p><p>Although still going strong in club football, Di María retired from international duty last summer at the age of 37. However, he has no regrets and is at peace with his decision.<br>"I was there for 16 years [with the national team] and it is as if I had been in a club," Di Maria said. "It's difficult, but I think I made the right decision. It's obvious that it tempts me because it's the national team. I achieved everything I wanted to achieve. I left the way I wanted to leave ... I hope one day I can be there again, in a different role."</p>

THE BIGGER PICTURE

<p>Messi, Di Maria’s close friend and long-time team-mate, was also instrumental in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup success. The Inter Miami star received the <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/messi--world-cup-history-argentina-captain-scoops-second-golden-ball/blt3d6564d03172f435" target="_blank">Golden Ball for his performances. </a>He scored seven goals in the tournament, including two in the final against France, before converting his penalty in the shootout. Di Maria, meanwhile, scored Argentina’s second goal in what became one of the most dramatic World Cup finals in history.</p>

DID YOU KNOW?

<p>Di Maria has demonstrated his enduring quality, scoring 14 goals in 32 appearances across all competitions this season with Benfica. With <em>The Eagles</em> set to face Monaco in the Champions League playoffs on Tuesday, Di Maria will be looking to make an impact and help his team secure a place in the round of 16.</p>

WHAT NEXT FOR DI MARIA?

'These things mark you' - Angel Di Maria 'still taking meds' over losing three successive finals with Argentina despite eventual World Cup & Copa America success alongside Lionel Messi | Goal.com

Angel Di Maria has revealed he is &quot;still taking meds&quot; over losing three finals with Argentina despite his eventual World Cup and Copa America wins.

&apos;These things mark you&apos; - Angel Di Maria &apos;still taking meds&apos; over losing three successive finals with Argentina despite eventual World Cup &amp; Copa America success alongside Lionel Messi