Gianluigi Buffon has said that Angel di Maria would be like the second coming of Diego Maradona should be join Juventus on a free transfer this summer. Di Maria is a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain and has been speaking with Barcelona and Juventus.
Juventus had seemed to be in pole position to sign the Argentine only for Barcelona’s interest to emerge and seemingly turn Di Maria’s head – it’s thought that the 34-year-old would prefer a move to Spain over a move to Italy. In recent times, however, it seems that Barcelona’s interest has cooled somewhat and Juventus again seem in pole position.
“Di Maria in Italy would be like Maradona,” Buffon told La Gazzetta dello Sport as carried by Diario Sport. “Today Serie A is poor technically and Angel has quality to burn. He beats rivals with ease, he’s decisive in front of goal, he contributes assists and fulfils multiple roles. He’s a complete footballer.”
And Buffon knows what he’s talking about when it comes to Serie A. The 44-year-old is currently playing his football with Parma but has enjoyed a long and storied career – he began with Parma before spending 17 years in Turin with Juventus. He then spent a season with PSG before returning for another two years with Juventus and then re-joining Parma in 2021. He has earned 176 caps for the Italian national team.
