Di Maria welcomed by thousands of Benfica fans

Football world champion Angel Di Maria was received euphorically at his presentation of Benfica Lisbon.

Thousands of supporters gathered outside the Estadio da Luz in the Portuguese capital on Thursday to greet the Argentine with chants and pyrotechnics. Di Maria (35) had switched from Juventus Turin to the Portuguese champions coached by Roger Schmidt.

“I return to my home because I feel like this is my home. It’s a unique feeling,” he said. According to media reports, Di Maria signed a one-year contract in Lisbon, and from 2007 to 2010 Benfica was the Argentine’s first career stop in Europe.

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