Angel di Maria’s Argentine teammates Pablo Zabaleta, Sergio Agüero and Martín Demichelis will be on the opposite team on Sunday.
Di Maria says that, of course, they will all remain friends off the pitch, but on the pitch it’s something different.
You are defending the pride of your colours. We’ve got good friendships over the years and no matter what the colour of your shirt, you still see each other socially. But once you’re on the field, you forget all that. Everyone is fighting for the shirt. When we see each other in the tunnel before games, I think it’s right to say ‘Hi’ and greet each other – whether it’s an ex-team-mate or a good friend. That’s normal, as long as you remember that you fight for the club and the shirt once the 90 minutes start.
