Ariel Holan opens up on what it was like to coach Ángel Di María at Rosario Central

Coaching a world champion is no simple task, especially when that player arrives mid career carrying a backpack full of European titles. Ariel Holan lived that experience firsthand with Ángel Di María at Rosario Central, and he spoke about it candidly in an interview with ESPN F12.

The coach didn't hold back when it came to praising Fideo. "It was a huge learning experience, an exceptional human being and a player who wins games, another level," Holan said when asked what it was like to have him under his command. That's no small compliment coming from a coach with plenty of experience, and it makes clear the impact the Qatar 2022 world champion had the moment he set foot in the Arroyito club.

What's interesting is that Holan framed the relationship in reverse of what you'd expect: it wasn't just Di María who had to adapt, the coaching staff also had to rethink its methods. "After so many years in Europe with the best players in the world, the best coaches in the world, the national team, everything, you try to learn how to train that type of player," he explained about the day to day work with the Rosario native.

And that's where he dropped an interesting detail: players of that caliber, shaped by the best leagues in the world, run into the intensity of Argentine soccer. "They come from completely different training setups. They're not used to training like we do, and much less to playing the way we play, there's a lot to learn and I learned a lot," the coach said.

Does a player like that need to be pushed harder? Holan laughed off the question and was blunt about it: "The demand level of that type of player is above the demand level of any of the portals. They don't need to be pushed, they push themselves." On the process of adjusting to the local game, he added: "He went about reinserting himself into Argentine soccer in a very different way. Here we play a more physical, close contact style of soccer that they're not used to in Europe, for them it's practically an insult."

The controversy over the league title

The conversation also touched on a thorny subject: AFA's decision to crown the Annual Table champion at the close of 2025, something that ended up benefiting Rosario Central and stirred up plenty of noise across Argentine soccer.

I felt it was recognition for all that workAriel Holan

The coach acknowledged that the way the matter was resolved sparked controversy outside the club. "After that, those are decisions that go down a different path, at the time it generated a lot of controversy over the way it was handled," Holan admitted, not shying away from the debate that took hold in public opinion.

Reflecting on the impact of that controversy, he was self critical: "It created something uncomfortable. It was a context full of intense things, and I didn't fully grasp the consequences at the time." An honest reflection from someone who lived the title from the inside and who, with hindsight, understands that the noise surrounding that decision ended up overshadowing part of the achievement.