‘I Stay With Him Until He Dies:’ Rodrigo De Paul’s Unwavering Support Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi’s Argentina teammate Rodrigo De Paul has refused to part ways with his captain even on a deserted island. De Paul has proved to be one of Messi’s most loyal sergeants in international football, constantly protecting the Inter Miami icon from physical harm during games. The Argentine midfielder also enjoys a close relationship with Messi. During an interview with Resumido, the Atletico Madrid midfielder was asked which of his international teammates would he pick to be stranded on an island with. The 30-year-old thought for a couple of seconds before confidently replying, “Messi. I stay with him until he dies.”

Rodrigo De Paul has won several accolades with Argentina under Lionel Messi’s leadership. Often regarded as Messi’s bodyguard, De Paul recently won the 2024 Copa America along with his captain. But the Argentine side’s celebrations were cut short after the national team endured racism allegations. The matter became a subject of scrutiny as questions were also raised on the involvement of Messi in all of this.

Eventually, Rodrigo De Paul cleared the air claiming that Lionel Messi had previously warned the squad and told them not to taunt the opposition after they won the final against Colombia. This is what he said to OLGA as per several media outlets, “When the final ended, Messi came and the first thing he said was, ‘Nobody taunts anyone, let’s celebrate and enjoy our victory.’” The Atletico Madrid midfielder further claimed they were being targeted because they had won the Copa America.

“They always find something against the winner. Whether it’s that we got help, or that we taunt others, or that it’s not such a good team, or that South America is less developed than Europe, we didn’t see any fuss about that when they say those things about us. All these things are said to discredit what we’ve achieved,” Rodrigo De Paul added.

Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul won their first piece of international silverware together at the 2021 Copa America in Maracana, Brazil. They went on to beat Euro 2020 Champions Italy in the Finalissima next year and lifted the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

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