Di María shows Neymar that a triumphant return is possible

When Carlo Ancelotti called up his Brazil squad for the trip to South Korea and Japan, Neymar was not even mentioned at the news conference. This would have been unthinkable a few weeks before. There were always questions about Neymar and his possible role at previous call-ups. So why not this time?

The answer is that his comeback -- so far at least -- is not going to plan. It was on Oct. 12, 2023 that he had a serious left knee injury playing for Brazil against Uruguay in the early rounds of World Cup qualification. The subsequent two years have brought no evidence that the 33-year-old is still capable of tipping the balance at the highest level.

Immediate expectations were almost certainly too high. He was greeted as a savior at the start of the year when he moved back to Santos, a famous old name that have fallen on hard times. Some imagined that the acquisition of Neymar would be sufficient to transform a newly promoted club into trophy challengers. Instead, Santos hover just above the relegation zone. And when he has been on the field, Neymar has yet to stand out.

There have been flashes of quality, such as striking a dead ball or slipping through a cunning pass. But he is not gliding past opponents as he once did with such flourish. After such a long time out of action, muscular problems were inevitable. But Neymar has run into a series of other injury problems. There are hopes that he might be back at the start of next month, which leaves very little time to prove himself before November's FIFA dates. And after that, there are only the international matches in March before Ancelotti's 2026 World Cup squad is named.

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If Neymar's ambition is really to round off his career with a star display in 2026, then he is now in a race against time. An old teammate, meanwhile, will only be missing from the tournament because he has chosen not to be there.

If the homecoming of Neymar has not lived up to its billing, then the return of Ángel Di María has been a sensation. The Argentina winger left Rosario Central in 2007, and came back home in July after an 18-year European tour which started and ended at Benfica, and in the meantime took in Real Madrid, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. The only disappointment was at Man United -- which almost certainly says more about the club than it does about the player.

Central are certainly delighted to welcome him back. Eleven games in and both Di María and the club are flying. They are sitting third in the table, unbeaten and putting together an impressive sequence of results.

The homecoming king hit the ground running, slotting in penalties in both of his first two games. That was only the warmup. He scored the only goal in the local derby against Newell's Old Boys, one of the most fiercely contested on the planet, added an Olimpico against Boca Juniors, and orchestrated a famous 2-1 win over River Plate in Central's recent home match. The stadium is rocking. The Gigante de Arroyito ground is famous for its fiery atmosphere; it is where the Argentina national team shrugged off a disappointing start and picked up momentum on the way to the 1978 World Cup win. And now the fans are flocking in to pay homage to the local hero.

But what makes Di María -- known as El Fideo by his fans -- so special? The 37-year-old is a genuine world-class star, without an ego to match. Did he insist on taking the No. 10 shirt upon his return to Rosario? No, he most certainly did not. That jersey is in the more than capable hands of the experienced Ignacio Malcorra, a fine representative of Argentina's excellent tradition of playmakers. With the No. 11 on his back, Di Maria -- as he has always done everywhere -- has found the best way to make himself useful in the collective context. His return has not cramped Malcorra's style. Rather, the two of them work together. Malcorra might have to work a little deeper in midfield, while young Gaspar de Jesus uses his lung power down the right flank to open up space for Di María. But the result is Di Maria adding quality to a team that has been well crafted by Ariel Holan, a fascinating coach with a background in field hockey. Central could well be contenders for the Argentine league title.

And in his own understated way, the career of Di María is not only synonymous with titles -- it is also the case that, time and time again, he was the man to come up big on the special occasion when the silverware was won. He was man of the match when Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League in 2014, and did it again and again for his country. In 2007 he was World Under-20 Champion, and a year later added an Olympic gold medal to his haul, scoring the only goal in the final against Nigeria. A full 13 years later he scored the only goal in the 2021 Copa América decider against Brazil that brought Argentina their first senior title since 1993. Everyone ran to Lionel Messi at the final whistle, but Di María did not to mind.

The claims made for Messi being the greatest of all time have been massively bolstered by the spate of recent triumphs, and Di María has been key to all of them. He took the French defense to pieces in the final of the 2022 World Cup, and came up big again in the final of last year's Copa América against Colombia -- his 145th and last game for his country. His choice. He stepped away from the international game. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni would love to have him back. For all their playmaking riches, Argentina lack a winger with the incisive one-on-one play of Di Maria. And in all of world football it would be tough to find a player with such star quality but apparently without star ego.

In this sense, Di María is something of an opposite to Neymar, with more big titles and much less hullabaloo. The pair were teammates for a few seasons at PSG, and it would seem fair to conclude that before Luis Enrique, in all the years of the star-driven project, the best and most solid version of the French giants was the one with Di María working to balance out the side.

And so, while Santos are struggling in Brazil, Rosario Central are riding high in Argentina. Neymar may still be hoping that a shot at glory will come his way in 2026, but there is no doubt that the prize of best South American homecoming of 2025 goes to Di María.