Murdered by Simeone, who is indispensable to Argentina: who is the real Di Paul? | first page

We are on our last legs. The World Cup in Qatar is knocking on our doors, and on Sunday, the opening match between the host country and Ecuador will see the ball rolling. France seeks reaffirmation after Russia 2018, Spain wants a return to magic, England is on a mission to bring the trophy home, and Brazil is trying to assault the star six. But among the favorites on the eve of the match, all eyes will be on Argentina. between video game simulations and algorithms, Albiceleste Messi, in the last great opportunity to cement his legend, It is the main indicator of ascent to the surface of the world. But if the 7-time Ballon d’Or winner wants to engrave his name more in the history books, There is another player who needs this World Cup.

central at home – In coach Lionel Scaloni’s squad list, it was not surprising to read a name and title Rodrigo de Paul. The Argentine isn’t having the best moment of his career but we’ll get back to it soon. The number 7 for the national team is undoubtedly a valuable element on the chessboard Albicelesteal. From the day of his debut on 11 October 2018 (4-0 win in a friendly match against Iraq), Scaloni practically never gave up on the Atletico Madrid midfielderHowever, he was not contacted on only two occasions out of 47 games. The technical commissioner did not fail to trust Colchonero: whether he’s in the 4, whether he’s the 3, whether you put him in the right or left midfielder, The Argentine midfield could not do without the presence of De Paul on the field. The last bench in the national team dates back to June 29 last year, from the match against Bolivia. A match that has nothing to say about Messi and his companions, for the purposes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Copa America. Rodrygo himself proved, on that occasion, that he was worthy of Scaloni’s trust: in fact, Di Maria’s winning assist in the final against Brazil bears his name. But If performances rise to the international level, the music in Spain changes.

DePaul wanted – The move to Atletico Madrid, in the summer of 2021, was supposed to be a quantum leap for the former Udinese captain. But something didn’t go right. Let’s go step by step: The 21% of times De Paul has not been deployed in his natural midfield role. Center, winger, attacking midfielder, right and left winger, these are all the positions the Argentine holds in his brackets. colon. But if the sedation that Simeone offered him was not enough, the statistics present us with a very unreassuring picture: in 66 appearances in the red and white jersey, De Paul was involved in only 10 plays that ended in a goal. In his last season in the Italian league (20/21), the figure practically doubled (19). In this first part of the season, out of 19 matches, it was the Argentine He played the full 90 minutes on only two occasions (against Cadiz in LaLiga and Porto in the Champions League). More worrying is the financial situation of Atlético de Madrid: the prime suspect to recover its coffers Colchoneros It really is Rodrigo. But not all bad come to hurt. Because Atleti does not need to sell Argentinian But this is their fifth number He needs a breath of fresh air. Everything indicates that it is time for De Paul to return to display all his talent. The World Cup exhibition is about to open and significant displays in Qatar will ensure a bigger market for the former Udinese player. The future of his career at the highest level rests in the hands of the 28-year-old Argentine. Qatar 2022 should be the World Cup for Rodrigo De Paul, the long-awaited launch pad, the final blast. The big European clubs have been warned: stay tuned for de Paul.