In his first match for his country since moving to Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi struggled to stamp his authority on the match in Caracas, but it mattered little
Real Madrid also bagged a French international star as Eduardo Camavinga arrived from Rennes -- but their attempts to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain failed
Pochettino, appointed to replace Thomas Tuchel in January, was keen to draw on the positives though with PSG still competing for the Ligue 1 title and French Cup.
First Di Maria whipped in a free-kick from wide on the right that evaded everyone on its way into the net, and then Verratti released Mbappe to break clear and finish for his second of the game on 52 minutes.
Football superstar Neymar meanwhile tried to douse a firestorm of controversy over reports he organized a week-long party for 500 revelers at his mansion outside Rio.
Ferdinand's brother Anton was involved in a high-profile incident in 2012 when Chelsea player John Terry was accused of racially abusing him during a match in England.