Angel Di Maria has revealed that he sought psychological help after being upset by memes mocking the Argentinian national team’s struggle to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
A last-ditch victory over Ecuador on the final matchday saw the Albiceleste just about sneak themselves a spot in Russia, but that didn’t stop fans from haranguing them for a largely slapdash qualification campaign.
Unfortunately, it all got on top of Di Maria, who felt the need to seek professional assistance to deal with the cruel internet lampoonery.
Speaking to TyC Sport, the PSG forward admitted that he even considered retiring from international duty as a result:
The memes sent to the players of the national team hurt us a lot, and it makes you think a lot.
If you think about quitting (the national team), it’s because of that, because you see the family suffer.
To me it helped me a lot psychologist, to talk, to unburden.
Thanks to that I learned that behind a computer or cell phone is easy to laugh. My head is fine now.
Good on him. Some of the goading that footballers are faced with on a daily basis can be alarmingly vicious.
Di Maria had a mental health issue and he sought help for it. No snark here.