Di Maria hits back at Florentino Perez, claims club tried to stop him from playing World Cup final

The war of words between Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and departed star Angel Di Maria continues.

Perez recently said that the midfielder left Madrid for Manchester United this summer because his lofty wage demands were not met, which has prompted Di Maria to strike back by claiming that the president tried keep him from representing Argentina in the World Cup final.

Di Maria, who has been steadfast in his assertion that the club spread "lies" about the circumstances surrounding his departure, suffered a thigh injury in Argentina's quarterfinal win over Belgium, and was working against the clock to recover in time for the showpiece event against Germany.

Speaking to the America & Closs radio show, the 26-year-old says that he received implicit instructions from his former club not to play in the contest over fears that he would further damage his thigh.

ESPN FC has the details:

"Yes, there was a letter from Madrid that arrived at about 11 o'clock on the day of the game," Di Maria said. "I was aiming to see if I could recover to play in the final, knowing that there was a risk of re-injuring myself.

"As soon as I got it, I tore it up and paid no attention."

Ultimately, Di Maria did indeed watch from the sidelines as the Albiceleste fell in extra time to a goal from Mario Götze, but says that was purely a tactical decision by manager Alejandro Sabella.

"I suffered a lot after hearing that I wouldn't play, but these things happen," he said. "It was Sabella's decision and he made the decision for the benefit of the team. I didn't want to leave the team a man short after five minutes."

Taking one final dig at his former team, Di Maria added that his new club would never attempt to stop him from representing his country, calling it an "impossible" occurrence.