"Always wanting to win was something Benfica taught me"

UEFA REPORT

Reliving the past, building the present, and looking to the future - that's what Di María did in his statement to UEFA on the eve of the European clash with Inter Milan in the second round of Group D in the Champions League at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy. Benfica's number 11 recalled where it all started until he got to where he is now, always with the underlying love and passion.

Graciela is a name full of history, affection, happiness and symbolism in Di María's memory chest. A mother's love, sacrifices that were decisive so that, on two wheels, the player could attend training sessions at Rosario Central, in Argentina. The bicycle was the starting point for UEFA's report. 

THE GRACIELA BICYCLE

"It's very nice, it's the same, it's very similar [he looked at a bicycle similar to the one his mother used when he was little and took him to training at Rosario Central]. It's one of the most important things in my life. Having a bicycle was one of the biggest sacrifices my mother made for me. It was like my first 'car', so to speak. I would sit in the back and there was a small basket in the front, my father made one out of iron, where my sister would sit. I'd get rain, thunder, wind... I went through rich neighborhoods, poor neighborhoods, everything, things were never easy in my life. For three, four, five, six, seven years he took me to training. It was all thanks to my mother and my bike."

RETURN TO BENFICA IN SUMMER 2023

"A player has never been welcomed like this in Portugal. To have that privilege, to have so many fans outside the Benfica stadium... Benfica is my home in Europe, it's where I arrived, where I really became a player. I had the chance to play with Rui Costa, which means I'm old... [laughs] I played alongside him, and now I have him as my president."

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

"It's the biggest club trophy you can win and it's very beautiful. I had the chance to win it [the Champions League], to lift it... it's a unique feeling. Today, at 35, I'm still doing the same thing on the pitch. I always want more, more goals, and more assists. With age, objectives change. Playing in the Europa League and the Champions League gave me the chance to grow, to be who I am today, and always wanting to win was something that this club taught me. The only thing on my mind was to put this jersey back on, to be happy again where I'd already been very happy. That was all I could think about."