Batman and Robin. Captain America and Bucky. Messi and De Paul.<\/p>\n
Their exploits for Inter Miami and the Argentine national team and their strong friendship ensures that last dynamic duo will be linked forever. They may not wear capes or sling shields, but they are heroes to millions of soccer fans — and despite his reputation as Messi’s on-field bodyguard, Rodrigo De Paul is more than a sidekick.<\/p>\n
The box-to-box midfielder’s quality was on full display Tuesday in Argentina’s 3-0 World Cup group stage win against Algeria. Not only did De Paul provide a perfectly placed pass to Messi to set up La Albiceleste’s first goal in the 17th minute, but he also finished with nine tackles, 14 interceptions, 4 clearances, 4 blocks and 92 percent of his passes completed.<\/p>\n
Not bad for a bodyguard. But there was a time not so long ago when pundits — and, perhaps subtly, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni — questioned whether De Paul would be ready to play in the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n
Starting 2026, Inter Miami had to adapt to the retirement of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, two of the greatest players of their generation. Former coach Javier Mascherano and interim coach Guillermo Hoyos both experimented with player combinations in midfield with tremendous pressure on De Paul to replace the defense, game control and dangerous long passing of Busquets and\/or the playmaking and goal production of Alba.<\/p>\n
It was too much. For much of the early season, De Paul seemed frustrated, failing to contribute on offense and slow to recover on defense. “El Motorcito” was grinding gears. That changed when Hoyos switched the Herons’ formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-2-1 and dropped Telasco Segovia into the midfield.<\/p>\n
Segovia, 23, a Venezuelan national team player, typically has played as a playmaking midfielder, joining some combination of Messi, Luis Su\u00e1rez, Germ\u00e1n Berterame or Mateo Silvetti in the attack. He’s comfortable with the ball at his feet and a good passer who works hard on defense. Deploying him in the midfield let’s De Paul move up into the attack while Segovia and Yannick Bright provide defensive coverage and help link the backline to Miami’s forwards.<\/p>\n
Back in a more familiar role, De Paul’s form has improved. Inter Miami hasn’t seen the all-around production he showed against Algeria, but it’s comforting to see he still can perform at such a level.<\/p>\n
Scaloni has dismissed concerns that De Paul made a mistake leaving Atl\u00e9tico Madrid to play for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer, and he’s never called out De Paul by name. But, according to several Argentine media outlets, the 48-year-old coach issued a warning to his national team players in March, midway through De Paul’s slump.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe honeymoon is over<\/a>. Being world champions is great, but you must be at your best for what\u2019s next,\u201d Scaloni told his players according to a March 31 report by World Soccer Talk. The coach didn’t want his players becoming complacent after winning the 2022 World Cup and emphasized that fitness and current form would be more important than past successes when molding the 2026 squad.<\/p>\n That turned out not to be a problem for De Paul or Messi; thanks to their work ethic. De Paul revealed in an interview that he and Messi had been training on their own<\/a> in addition to Inter Miami’s requirements for several months before World Cup selection.<\/p>\n
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