“That’s Below the Belt”- Filipe Luis Criticized For Taking Angel Di Maria’s Wife’s Name On Sergio Aguero’s Advice

It’s almost Christmas, and it seems soccer stars around the world have started searching for peace and forgiveness during this festive period. Former Brazilian star Filipe Luis opened up on his biggest regret from the game this week, claiming he feels bad for bringing Angel Di Maria‘s wife into the conversation to throw the player off his game. While Di Maria is yet to respond to Luis’ admission, his statement has not gone down well with former soccer stars who slammed him for his underhanded tactics.

The two players share some rough history. Di Maria and Luis have been fierce rivals for both club and country. While Angel Di Maria was a key figure for Real Madrid early 2010s, Filipe Luis was trying to make a name for himself following his arrival at Atletico Madrid. But no amount of talent proves he’s above rebuke.

Craig Burley rips into Filipe Luis for his comments on Angel Di Maria

Filipe Luis had opened up on his biggest regret from his career during a recent interview appearance. During the podcast, the former Atletico Madrid star stated, “My biggest regret was with Di Maria. [Sergio] Aguero told me, if you talk about his wife, he will lose his composure. I mentioned his wife and he was devastated, I outplayed him the whole game, and he didn’t do well. I came home and I regretted it so much. Say Maria, I’m sorry.”

However, while Angel Di Maria is yet to further comment on the matter, the Brazilian’s statement didn’t sit well with a bunch of former stars. During his appearance on ESPN’s recap, former Scottish icon Craig Burley ripped into Filipe for his insensitive words.

Responding to the apology, Burley added, “I actually think that’s below the belt. Ethically. I mean, there’s, I’m not gonna say there’s an unwritten rule. But there you wind players up. But when you start talking about families, that’s a new level of sort of underhand tactics.”

Although it seems like Filipe genuinely regrets his actions, it would not be surprising if Angel Di Maria wants nothing to do with the former Rojiblancos star’s apology. While the world is filled with uncertainties, Filipe Luis should definitely not expect a greeting card from Di Maria this Christmas.

Di Maria had the last laugh over Filipe Luis

While Filipe Luis did his best to get under his opponent’s skin with mind games, it was Angel Di Maria who came out on top on multiple occasions. 2010 saw Atletico Madrid take on rivals Los Blancos on four different occasions. While Atletico gave their all in all four encounters, it was Real Madrid that emerged victorious in all four games.

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Both players spent four years facing each other in La Liga before Di Maria was transferred to the Premier League side Manchester United in 2014. However, Filipe Luis followed suit as he moved to Premier League side Chelsea in the same year. However, unlike Di Maria, Luis failed to make an impact in the English league and made a return to Atletico next summer.

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