Kylian Mbappe made the right call to stay at Paris Saint-Germain, according to Angel Di Maria, who says the forward still has plenty of time left in his career to seal a transfer to Real Madrid.
Mbappe snubbed a move to Santiago Bernabeu to sign a new three-year contract at PSG, and celebrated by scoring a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Metz on the final day of the Ligue 1 season.
Madrid were confident of signing the 23-year-old on a free transfer after he pushed to join the club last summer and have been left stunned by his surprise U-turn, but Di Maria feels he has taken the right decision for his career.
What has Di Maria said about Mbappe?
"I think he has made the right decision," the Argentine winger, who played for Madrid between 2010 and 2014, told reporters after the Metz game.
"He is still young and has time to go to Madrid, he has time to go wherever he wants, he has only signed three more years and he will be 26, he has a lot ahead of him.
"He likes to make history and he will continue to make history here, he is close to 200 goals."
Asked if he can see Mbappe joining Madrid in 2025, Di Maria replied: "I don't know, the people at Madrid are complicated, the Bernabeu is difficult, but he has the talent to win them over."
What's next for Di Maria?
Di Maria also got on the scoresheet against Metz in his last ever appearance for PSG, who have confirmed that his contract will not be extended beyond the summer.
The 34-year-old wanted to stay put for one more year to help the club clinch a maiden Champions League crown, but he doesn't hold any resentment.
"The club knew that I wanted to stay and do another year to achieve the goal set when I arrived, which is to win the Champions League," he said.
"We were very close playing a final. It's the only thing I regret. I know the guys will continue on the same path and try to win it. My decision was to stay, they told me no, but today I am calm."
GOAL has reported that Di Maria will now move on to a new challenge at Juventus after agreeing on a one-year deal at Allianz Stadium, but he refused to confirm his next move.
"For now I'm going to keep quiet and think a little more about my family and myself and see what's best for me and my family, and then find a place where we'll be happy and quiet," he said.