De Paul reveals Messi’s special training plan ahead of the World Cup | OneFootball

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

Rodrigo De Paul, Inter Miami and Argentina national team midfielder, revealed the special preparation he is doing 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 last 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 trainer. That’s where we put in the work,” he explained in an interview on Lo del Pollo.

At the same time, Motorcito said he would even like to document it, although Messi is not quite as convinced by the idea. “Adding a bit of a movie feel to it… I film everything. I don’t know… ‘No, leave it, why are you filming me?’… ‘Come on, little man, maybe if it happens… a little documentary (SIC), we’ll make a few bucks,’” he said, laughing.

De Paul — who is 31 and preparing to play in his second World Cup — also said that “you can’t live without thinking about the World Cup.” He added: “The closer it gets, the more those thoughts come into your head. With fear, uncertainty, joy… waiting for the squad list to come out. As for me, I’m super fired up and very hopeful. I think the national team is going to be a major contender again.”

He also stressed that the Argentina squad is excited about fighting for the title again: “I see in my teammates a conviction 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 the European ones. “Personally, with the way I play and what I feed off, I know the most important thing is to play. 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 part of the European dynamic and 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 grand final of the tournament will be on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Argentina, dreaming of defending the title, is in Group J 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.