Rodrigo de Paul has change into, on this Argentina squad, what Jose Manuel Pinto as soon as was at Barcelona, or Luis Suarez later turned: the team-mate with whom Messi immediately feels at house.
Their bond was solid on worldwide responsibility. Till then, the midfielder’s solely connection to Messi had been asking for a photograph after a Valencia–Barcelona match, which he proudly posted on social media.
One afternoon, he seen Messi go away coaching alone, trying subdued. Involved, De Paul waited about 40 minutes earlier than knocking on his door.
“Fancy a mate and a sport of truco?”
A friendship started, with its personal strict etiquette. Mate, the drink, collectively each morning in De Paul’s room. So as of arrival, Leo first, then different members of the squad. In the event that they obtained up too early, they’ve to attend for the second to get to De Paul’s room, no one can leap the routine.
De Paul typically calls Messi ‘El Pequeno’ (the baby), regardless that he’s the oldest within the room.
He needles him, treats him like a standard man somewhat than a monument, as a result of that’s what Messi really as a rule desires: to be Leo, not Messi. De Paul is aware of him nicely sufficient to sense when to depart him alone, too.
Strolling out to the pitch, Messi leads, De Paul at his facet, the remainder of the squad fanning out behind nearly in a wedge – like a avenue gang defending its chief.
For a lot of of this group Messi was by no means merely a team-mate first, he was the childhood idol on tv, the rationale a few of them picked up a ball in any respect.
The entire squad wears the identical boots, the Adidas Adistar Messi. For his birthday in June, the gamers wore a T-shirt printed with a photograph of themselves alongside Leo from some level throughout his years with the nationwide crew.
