Di Maria receives family death threat in Argentina if he returns to play in Rosario

The 36-year-old winger at Benfica in Portugal said recently he could play again for his boyhood club Rosario Central. He was currently in the United States touring with Argentina.

Published : Mar 26, 2024 09:26 IST , BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - 1 MIN READ

Angel Di Maria #11 of Argentina looks on against El Salvador in the first half of the international friendly at Lincoln Financial Field on March 22, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Angel Di Maria #11 of Argentina looks on against El Salvador in the first half of the international friendly at Lincoln Financial Field on March 22, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP
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Angel Di Maria #11 of Argentina looks on against El Salvador in the first half of the international friendly at Lincoln Financial Field on March 22, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP

Argentine police and prosecutors are investigating an anonymous death threat to football star Angel di Maria delivered in his hometown of Rosario early Monday.

Staffers of the Funes Hills Miraflores condominium where the World Cup winner usually stays in the region, said they found a package containing a death threat to Di Maria’s family if he returned to play for one of the city clubs.

(FILES) View of the gated community Funes Hill Miraflores where Argentine footballer Angel Di Maria and his family usually stay when visiting Argentina and where other family members including his mother live, in Santa Fe, Argentina.
(FILES) View of the gated community Funes Hill Miraflores where Argentine footballer Angel Di Maria and his family usually stay when visiting Argentina and where other family members including his mother live, in Santa Fe, Argentina. | Photo Credit: AFP
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(FILES) View of the gated community Funes Hill Miraflores where Argentine footballer Angel Di Maria and his family usually stay when visiting Argentina and where other family members including his mother live, in Santa Fe, Argentina. | Photo Credit: AFP

The 36-year-old winger at Benfica in Portugal said recently he could play again for his boyhood club Rosario Central. He was currently in the United States touring with Argentina.

“That kind of threat brings a lot of social commotion, and that is their aim — to make the population scared, hit public figures,” Esteban Santantino, who works in security for the local government, told broadcaster  Todo Noticias.

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Rosario has been rocked by waves of violence between rival drug-dealing groups. The city homicide rate is 22 per 100,000 residents, far above Argentina’s average of 4.2 per 100,000.

The violence in Rosario affected another World Cup winner a year ago. Unidentified gunmen shot at a supermarket owned by a relative of Lionel Messi’s. They also left a message that read: “Messi, we are waiting for you.”

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