The Argentinian midfielder Rodrigo de Paul He said that, after winning the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar against France, all he could think about was hugging Lionel Messiwhom he considers his “big brother”.
“The first thing I thought of was to hug Leo, because the World Cup was so strong in terms of sensations, we went from one extreme to another. When Gonzalo (Montiel) was walking to the penalty spot, he knew that when he scored the goal he would run to hug Leo.”the player remembered the Atletico Madrid in dialogue with Fox Sports.
That launch marked the victory for the Albiceleste, who thus achieved the third world title in its history.
De Paul recalled the days before the clash with the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, one of the most important matches for the Albiceleste and for him.
The rojiblanco player has to train differently from the rest of the squad who is suffering from a muscle injury. The doctors recommended ten days of rest, because if he continued he might not complete the tournament.
“I didn’t tear my muscle, but the doctor told me I should have an MRI. I refused because I knew someone would come out and they threw me out“said the Atlético de Madrid midfielder.
“I preferred to have an ultrasound because I can handle it, but the lesion jumped and the doctor tells me: ‘you have ten days'”, he recalled.
In the interview, the 28-year-old midfielder commented that he doesn’t care about the injury.because he wanted to play, despite being warned that there was an “80% chance” he would tear his muscles.
That same night, and fearing it would be his last game, he went to Lionel Messi’s room, asking him to take care of himself and not play.
“He tells me:’I promise to help you reach the semifinal, but don’t risk it because you will probably be left behind. And for him to tell me like that… Countering Leo was very difficult, he didn’t say it as a team captain, but as a friend, an older brother,” recalled De Paul.
He also had to play down his injury to convince the coach, Lionel Scaloni, something he is thankful to have done, as he feels he will regret it “more than not taking chances”.
De Paul later played and was replaced Leandro Paredes in the 67th minute of the match against the Dutch, giving the Albiceleste a pass to the semifinals.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
