The family of Benfica and Argentina star Angel Di Maria have reportedly been threatened with death if he returns to his hometown of Rosario.
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Di Maria family threatened with deathArgentina star told not to return to RosarioThreat reminiscent of Messi's wife's family a year agoGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
The threat was reportedly written on a note and thrown from a grey car at 2:30am Monday morning, local time, successfully landing at one of the entrances of the private neighbourhood of Miraflores. That housing complex, per the , houses several members of Di Maria's family, including his mother. The note was addressed to said family and threatened him against returning to his native Rosario, located in the province of Santa Fe.
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The note was reportedly wrapped in a black plastic bag and reached the doors of the gated community, according to the . The vile message written on it read, per : "Tell your son Angel not to return to Rosario again because otherwise we will screw him up by killing a family member. Not even [Maximiliano] Pullaro [Governor of Santa Fe Province] is going to save you. We don't throw away pieces of paper. We throw lead and dead people."
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
According to multiple outlets, including , as yet there is no known motivation behind the threat, nor is there any information on what Di Maria may have done to warrant it. The ordeal is reminiscent of the horrific attack on the store owned by the family of Antonela Roccuzzo, Lionel Messi's wife, in the same city a year ago. The Roccuzzo business was shot at, with a message left which read: "Messi, we are waiting for you."
WHAT NEXT?
The note was immediately seized by police and is now being investigated by authorities, who seek to shed light on the perpetrators and their motivation. It is not yet clear why Di Maria, an Argentina legend and one of the heroes of their 2022 World Cup win, has been targeted. The writes that the gang in question is suspected to be linked with drug trafficking.
