Angel Di Maria has revealed Real Madrid sent him a letter pleading that he sit out Argentina's World Cup final against Germany in 2014.
The Argentina forward had injured his hamstring against Belgium in his side's 1-0 win in the quarter-final and was forced to miss the semi-final victory over the Netherlands.
Di Maria, who went on to join Manchester United after the tournament, also missed the final after failing to prove his fitness.
But he had ignored a letter from his club asking him not to play in case his injury jeopardised a transfer away from the Bernabeu.
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