Heading into the FIFA World Cup this year in Qatar, Argentina has been dubbed as the favorite by fans and pundits alike for good reason.
Contrary to the theory that credits the caliber of the players with the nation’s success, there may be a much deeper reason at play.
It seems that it’s not just about the sheer quality of the attack, defense, and midfield of the La Albiceleste, but also about the team chemistry and the emergence of strong characters in the dressing room, that have led to Argentina’s strong candidature for the world cup, and is also one of the reasons why Argentina was able to be crowned the Copa America Champions last year.
One such interesting character in Argentina’s dressing room has been Atletico Madrid’s star, Rodrigo De Paul. He has been central to the White and Blues this world campaign and has been pulling the strings in their midfield.
De Paul started turning heads during his time with Italian Serie A side Udinese, before making the switch to Atletico Madrid in Spain in 2021. Simultaneously, he has also earned 48 caps for his country, scoring twice in the process.
One such incident stood out earlier this year, in September, when De Paul was praised by Argentinian soccer fans online for the way he ran to Lionel Messi‘s defense after the 35-year was on the receiving end of a hard challenge from one of Honduras’s players in the clash between Argentina and Honduras.
You don’t mess with Lionel Messi with Argentina. Rodrigo De Paul and the team on the scene.pic.twitter.com/cnmJ0z0hdW
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) September 24, 2022
“I would go to war for Lionel Messi”, was De Paul’s message after the game.
Fans react to relationship between Rodrigo De Paul and Lionel Messi
Soccer fans around the world have been loving the way Rodrigo De Paul has been defending Messi and making his unconditional support for his captain known.
Fans have taken the liberty of dubbing the relationship between De Paul and Messi, as a ‘bromance’. Take a look at fan reactions here.
Rodrigo De Paul is officially Messi’s bodyguardpic.twitter.com/mBcLDpXRAY
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) November 18, 2022
I wish someone loved me the way De Paul loves Messi
— Tom Leese (@TomLeese) December 3, 2022
De Paul waited for everyone to leave before he hugged Messi alone. #BitnobInQatar pic.twitter.com/GZ3j7lJHZn
— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) December 3, 2022
POV: You messed with Messi and De Paul pays you a visit 🤕#Qatar2022 #ARGAUS pic.twitter.com/ZPMYISjcyg
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) December 3, 2022
i need someone to love me like de paul loves messi pic.twitter.com/Gf5rg1imWB
— Minina klima (@zadrugar15) December 3, 2022
Fans online loved the way De Paul retaliated towards Australian left-back Aziz Behich after Behich made the mistake of tangling with Leo Messi just moments earlier, during Argentina’s game against Australia yesterday in the last-16 of the FIFA World Cup.
Rodrigo De Paul proves the critics wrong
Rodrigo De Paul has certainly been one of National team coach Lionel Scaloni’s favorite players after having the most starts (47) among the entire squad since Scaloni took over.
De Paul is a high-energy midfielder who proves to be quite handy for pressing, defending, passing, and play-making, along with occasional late runs inside the penalty area.
His start in this year’s world cup, however, was not great, to say the least, as he put in lackluster performances in the first two games against Saudi Arabia and Mexico. This was met by calls from fans for his relegation to the bench.
He started answering his critics back, however, as he put in a world-class performance against Robert Lewandowski‘s Poland in the final game of the group stages.
Rodrigo De Paul’s stats vs Poland —
165 touches
137 passes complete
14 final third entries
7 ball recoveries
4 crosses attempted
2 tacklesSoldado. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/83RI9gFwZa
— Infinity Scouting (@Sqoutism) December 1, 2022
He was also hailed as the ‘heart’ of Argentina’s midfield by fans online after putting in another world-class performance against Australia yesterday.
The people who criticized De Paul for only 2 game and wanted him out of the starting lineup should be ashamed of themselves. The heart of the team 💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/3NLWVMNDUi
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) December 3, 2022
Rodrigo de Paul produced an impressive display in Argentina’s midfield:
👌 102 touches
🔑 3 key passes
👟 73/87 accurate passes
⚔️ 4/5 duels won
🧲 2 interceptions
🦵 2 tackles
🚷 0 times dribbled past
📈 7.3 Sofascore rating pic.twitter.com/WDIrdEV0X2— FC Barcelona Fans Nation (@fcbfn_live) December 3, 2022
Heading into the quarter-finals of the World Cup, De Paul is averaging 112 touches per game along with an impressive 87% passing accuracy.
There seems to be no doubt in the minds of soccer fans that he is going to be instrumental in Argentina’s next game against the Netherlands.