at 38, Angel Di Maria continues to add titles to his career, but this time was something special. “El Fideo” completed a coaching course at the school of the Argentine Football Coaches Association in Rosario, obtaining an official certification that qualified him to become a coach when he decided to hang up his soccer boots.
The news has resurfaced comments from former Albiceleste teammate Leandro Paredes about the possibility of working together on the coaching staff, with the possibility of someone from the national team also joining.
Di Maria receives coaching certification
Before the match of Rosario Central against Independiente Rivadavia, the ATFA school of Rosario posted this news on its official account, congratulating him on his graduation and highlighting his school days.
“Congratulations, Coach! With great pride, we congratulate @angeldimariajm on your certification and thank you for trusting us with your training as a coach. We are happy to have you as a student,” they wrote.
“Thank you so much for everything,” “El Fideo” replied via Instagram Story.
Therefore, Di Maria has already set one of his next goals. It’s about staying connected to soccer from the bench. And he could be joined by a “Scaloneta” teammate.
@escueladt__atfa_rosario Instagram
Some time ago, Leandro Paredes mentioned the possibility of forming a coaching staff with him once they both retire: “I always said that I didn’t want anything to do with football after that, but the more time passes, the more I want to do it. I don’t know if I’ll coach or not. But he will definitely be part of the coaching staff. Fide wants to be a coach, so it will probably be with him.
However, Cristian ‘Cuti’ Romero has also joined Rosario’s ATFA academy, which Angel graduated from, so the project could rely on or even compete with the current Tottenham Hotspur player.
Meanwhile, Paredes and Romero are preparing for the 2026 World Cup after announcing they would no longer wear the sky blue and white jersey after winning their second straight Copa America in 2024, and are preparing to defend the title they won with Ángel in 2022, but this time without Ángel.
Similarly, this achievement comes with Di María’s current role as a central player at Central, where he returned in 2025 to fulfill his dream of playing for the club where he started his career and take on new challenges such as the Copa Libertadores. Thus, Di Maria, who is in the final stages of his football career, has already begun to build his next chapter in football.
