Di Maria: "I hope we win the tenth European Cup next year"

Angel Di Maria (Rosario, 1988) takes stock of a contradictory season for him. On the one hand, he has suffered greatly because of injuries. On the other hand, there was one of the greatest joys of his career after winning the Spanish League with Real Madrid, the club he hopes to be many years. The left-end is like a fish in water in Madrid and in the white club, where he feels the love from the fans, Mourinho and his companions, with whom he has hit it off perfectly despite his shyness. "I feel that people love me too" he says blushing.

Angel Di Maria

Did you suffer much by injuries this season?
Yes, I suffered a lot. It was very hard. Luckily, my wife was very supportive and did not let me fall. Because when I was recovering, dropped again, recovered and dropped again... I was unlucky, because, for example, in the game against Racing I came to the field, I kicked a goal very strong and nothing happened. But then I slipped and was injured. I could not believe it. And now it gone, luckily, but I felt wrong. I am working the quadriceps to keep it strong.

Did you feel supported by Mourinho during recovery?
Mourinho was with me a lot during my recovery. He is an excellent coach. He supports his players. He was always with me during my injury, asking me how I felt and how the recovery process was coming along. It helped because it made me know I'd have the chance to be a starter when I returned. He brought out the best in me. I have grown considerably since he started being my coach; I think I had served 14 assists in the season before I was injured.

What do you think after winning their first league title with Real Madrid?
I am very happy for winning the league title in my second year on the team. It is impressive. I hope we continue to grow and winning titles next year. What matters is we won La Liga and made the fans happy. I hope we win the Tenth next year.

What do you think about the team? Does a new era begins?
We did things much better this year and it showed in all the records we broke, the points we took and goals we scored... We were stronger than Barcelona because we had a nine-point cushion over them and scored more goals. We have to continue establishing records. We proved we can defeat Barcelona. We did a good job throughout the year.

Is the Tenth European Cup an obsession that may end up decreasing performance?
We may win the Tenth any time now. We came close twice and I hope we win the UCL next year so we can celebrate again at Cibeles. It was amazing, one of the best moments in my career.

And about the fans?
I won the fans over with hard work. They have been with me from the start. Everyone told me it was very difficult to win the Bernabeu's affection, but I did. I do not feel pressure any more and play like I do anywhere else; it's the same with my friends than before a crowd 80,000 strong.

Can you imagine playing many years for Real Madrid?
I feel very loved and hopefully remain playing for Real Madrid for many years. I wish I could stay long. I remember the first time I went to the locker room of Real Madrid; to see me there, to feel that I had arrived. I was thrilled. I was in the clouds.