Angel di Maria and Real Madrid Don't Need Each Other

Yesterday, Real Madrid sold Angel Di María to Manchester United for £59.7 million. The transfer itself points to what both teams see as their present and future. On the Real Madrid side, it marks the beginning of the James Rodríguez era, and is perhaps a mistake. For United, they get a relentless runner and elite chance creator.

For Real, you have to wonder why Di María was sold in the first place. As soon as Madrid got World Cup darling James Rodriguez, there was writing on the wall that said Colombia's 23-year-old wasn't purchased for €63 million to play second fiddle to El Fideo. While Real do have a penchant for stacking bands in a less-than-wise manner, there was absolutely no chance they intended to have the World Cup's golden boot winner wait in the wings and learn from Di María.

While James did have five spectacular games for Colombia at the World Cup, Di María had 52 spectacular games combined between the Copa del Rey, Champions League, and La Liga. Di María led the Champions League with five assists in nine games. While he didn't get an assist in Real's Champions League final win over Atletico Madrid—although it was his shot that Gareth Bale headed into the net for the winner—he was widely regarded as the best player on the pitch that night. He took more touches than anyone else on Madrid other than Sergio Ramos and had a game-high six completed dribbles. His run in the Champions League final—the one that led to the game-winner—delivered Real's tenth European Cup. "We'll never forget your zigzag in Lisbon," Xabi Alonso tweeted in tribute to his now former teammate.

The tribute could have gone much further since in La Liga, Di María led the league in both assists (17) and key passes per game (2.7). He leaves Real with a ledger that reads 36 goals and 72 assists in 190 games.Di María did all this while primarily playing a position previously unfamiliar to him: central midfielder in the 4-3-3. With Gareth Bale's €91 million move to Real Madrid last summer, Di María was unceremoniously removed from the right wing position to make room for the big money Welshman under the new management of Carlo Ancelotti.

As a result, Di María went back to the position that made Real Madrid sign him from Benfica to fit the new system. Despite the shift, his midfield play alongside Luka Modrić and Xabi Alonso gave los Blancos a double and left them just three points behind Atlético Madrid for a treble.

And yet, Florentino Perez wanted to replace him.

Further, while Rodriguez is a talented young player, it's hard to justify replacing Di María with him in a pure soccer sense. But Real Madrid is more than a soccer team; they are also a global brand. And James, at this point, is much easier to sell and market than Di María. Former Argentina coach Cesar Luis Menotti thought Madrid was trying to force out Di María. "What they have done to Di María is an injustice," he said. "They have signed James Rodríguez to sell more shirts. He is a marketing product."

Florentino Perez made a decision similar to this in 2003, selling defensive midfielder Claude Makélélé. Makélélé didn't have the same glitz and glam as people like David Beckham, who was the man brought in to replace him. As such, he was sold.

After Makélélé's sale, Madrid failed to win the Champions League, a trophy that defines this club more than any, until last year.While the team's collection of superstars no doubt helped Madrid in getting that elusive trophy, it was the relatively quiet signing of Angel Di María in 2010 that finally delivered, three seasons later.

And now he is gone.

"Sadly the time has come for me to leave, but I would like to make it clear that it was never my wish," Di María wrote in his goodbye letter. "Unfortunately it would seem I am not the type of footballer that appeals to one person in particular."

The one person he alludes to is club president Perez. Time will tell if that one person, the most important person, cost Real their most important player.

Meanwhile, for Manchester United, Di María's transfer is what fans have been begging for the entire summer. It is a statement of intention for Louis van Gaal that his team isn't afraid of paying big transfer fees for world-class players who warrant it.

However, while the transfers of Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, and Marcos Rojo were necessary, the transfer of Di Maria appears to be more of a luxury than a necessity. Simply put, an attacking midfielder/winger is the last thing Manchester United needs. "We should have spent that money on a defender or a central midfielder," is what some fans are saying. Yet, somehow, this transfer makes sense.

Before moving to Madrid, Di Maria was part of a midfield three in a 4-3-1-2 at Benfica. His runs from midfield and his relentless energy were actually a key reason Real Madrid paid €25 million for him in the first place.While Manchester United will not play anything like that Benfica team, they do line up in a similar way. The most important aspect of Louis van Gaal's formation at United so far are the three players forming the attacking trident. The Iron Tulip is insistent on playing Rooney, Juan Mata, and Robin Van Persie in his starting 11, and who could blame him? They are his three best attackers.Di Maria can slot in right behind them and become another midfield runner, much the same way he did at Benfica and during his last, best season at Madrid. El Fideo is best when he's playing that hybrid central midfield/winger role, and he can do that at United.

The question is can Manchester United afford to spend almost £60 million on Di Maria when their squad still has major concerns? Even with the acquisition of Rojo, United's back three options leave a lot to be desired compared to the cream of the crop in the EPL.

What's more, those looking for Di Maria to replicate his Madrid stats will be in for a letdown. Di María regularly found himself on the pitch with 8-10 other players who wound up starting for their national teams in the World Cup. He will have to adjust from Real Madrid's incredible talent at every position to Manchester United's less than impressive talent at every position. While the likes of Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie are still highly talented, having Bale and Ronaldo as your wide players is going to be a vastly different experience than having some convoluted combo of Young, Shaw, Adnan Januzaj, and Antonio Valencia. A lack of great finishing by teammates was key in the media's critical assessment of Arsenal's Mesut ?-zil, another castaway from La Liga, and may prove to be what haunts Di María's own time in the EPL.

Brass tacks is that Di María's signing will play a major role in shaping van Gaal's legacy as Manchester United manager one way or another. He is a world-class player on a team that still has long way to go become world class again.

With Angel Di Maria, they just got a little bit closer.

Follow Jordan Katz on Twitter.