Rodrigo De Paul reveals special training with Lionel Messi for World Cup | OneFootball

The Inter Miami midfielder said that he’s doing double training sessions with La Pulga, focused on the World Cup. He even said he’d like to make a documentary about the preparation!

Rodrigo De Paul, Inter Miami and Argentina national team midfielder, revealed the special preparation he has with Lionel Messi for the 2026 World Cup: double training sessions and even the idea of a documentary!

“We’re preparing for that. For the past two or three months, every day we’ve had a training plan beyond what we do at the club. We’re pushing ourselves to the limit so that, physically, we arrive in the best possible shape. We do double sessions with our coach. That’s where we really go for it,” he explained in an interview on Lo del Pollo.

At the same time, Motorcito said he’d even like to document it, although Messi isn’t quite as sold on the idea. “Adding a bit of a movie feel to it… I film everything. I don’t know… ‘No, stop, what are you filming me for?’… ‘Well, little man, maybe if it happens… a little documentary (SIC), we make a few bucks,’” he said, laughing.

De Paul also — now 31 and preparing to play in his second World Cup — said that “you can’t live without thinking about the World Cup.” And he added: “The closer it gets, the more those thoughts come into your head. With fear, uncertainty, joy… wondering whether your name will be on the list. As for me, I’m extremely fired up and full of hope. I think the national team is going to be a contender again.”

He also stressed that the Argentina squad is excited about fighting for the title again: “I see in my teammates a belief and a hunger for it to keep happening. We won the Copa América and went for the second one, we won the Finalissima and we wanted to compete against Spain… The team is absolutely ready to give everything.”

On the other hand, De Paul explained how moving to MLS has benefited him, despite it being a less competitive league than Europe’s. “For me personally, with the way I play and what I feed off, I know the most important thing is playing. That’s what’s going to give me what I need, which is to be physically ready to offer what the national team has always needed from me. A year and a half before the World Cup, I set myself the goal of playing.”

“It’s happening for me, I play every three days and I haven’t had any injuries. I’m arriving in a great moment. I’d even say better than in other competitions,” he added. And he concluded: “Not playing in the Champions League… In the Champions League you play six or seven matches in a year. It’s not that decisive. I understand it’s an incredible competition and in Europe’s dynamic it has a lot of positive things. The way I see it, I think I need minutes in my legs.”

The 2026 World Cup will begin next June 11 with the match between Mexico and South Africa, in Group A, at the legendary Azteca Stadium. The tournament final will be held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Argentina, dreaming of defending the title, is in Group J along with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. La Albiceleste will make its debut against Algeria on June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.