Real Madrid 'sold Angel Di Maria because he was too ugly’

Rexach’s comments could cause quite a stir between the two bitter rivals, especially with truth behind Di Maria’s departure to Manchester United unclear.

The Argentina winger claimed that he felt undervalued and underappreciated at Real after his request for a new and improved offer at the club were rebuffed despite putting in a man of the match award in the 2013/14 Champions League final.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has since criticised Di Maria, claiming that the 27-year-old left to join Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United for money and nothing else.

However, Barcelona director Rexach has offered his two cents as to why Di Maria was allowed to leave the club, claiming that the winger’s appearance did not correspond with the club’s image.

Speaking to Catalan media Regio7, Rexach said: Florentino Perez [Madrid's president] looks at the world market and wants a team of Galacticos for everyone to admire. Do you understand what I mean?

“[Cristiano] Ronaldo is the flagship of the club. Perez is selling an international brand.

“Vicente del Bosque and Di Maria are too ugly for Real Madrid. They are different from Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez.”

At first glance it seems an outrageous claim - after all, Gareth Bale is hardly modelled on a Greek statue, but he remains at the Bernabeu. Yet on reflection, Rexach's words do ring true.

Would Di Maria really have been allowed to leave had he been as marketable off the pitch as he is talented on it? The Argentine was the best player on the pitch in Real Madrid's Champions League victory last year, so why get rid of him? After all, no less a man than Cristiano Ronaldo himself went on record criticising the sale of Di Maria last September: "I have strong opinions but I can’t always say what I think. Otherwise it would be on the front page and I don’t want that. But if it was up to me, I wouldn’t have done so."

And to suggest that appearances don't matter is naive. Just last week, the Lotus F1 team signed up a new development driver whose meagre on-track qualifications were wholly put in the shade by the fact that she was blonde and undeniably beautiful. On top of that, the weekend witnessed Thierry Henry giving an interview in which he admitted that part of the reason he signed for Arsenal was because he liked the kit.

Then, consider the fact that Real, with two superb goalkeepers on their books in Iker Casillas and Keylor Navas, are pursuing Manchester United's David De Gea. Is De Gea better than Casillas or Navas? Probably not. Is he younger, cooler, sexier, more marketable? Absolutely.