Done Deal: Rodrigo De Paul to reunite with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald on Jul 16, 2025

Published in Soccer

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MIAMI — Rodrigo De Paul is one of Lionel Messi’s closest friends and his teammate on Argentina’s national team.

A charismatic central midfielder with a fashion flair, De Paul also happens to be a big fan of David Beckham’s, so much so that he emulated the English star’s hairdos, from the braids to the pulled-back half-ponytail to the hairband to the bleached blond look.

So, it makes perfect sense that if he was going to leave Atletico Madrid, it would be for a chance to join Messi and Beckham at Inter Miami. And a year before the World Cup, no less.

Inter Miami has agreed to terms with De Paul for a four-year deal that will be structured as a loan from Atletico Madrid through 2025 with the option to purchase, per a source with knowledge of the negotiations. Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas spent last week in Madrid finalizing the deal, with an announcement expected in the coming week.

The transfer/buyout fee was in the $12 million to $15 million range, with potential for a higher fee with incentives.

If all goes as planned, De Paul could make his Inter Miami debut during the Leagues Cup, which kicks off July 30 with a home game against Mexican club Atlas. The next two Leagues Cup games are against Necaxa Aug. 2 and Pumas Aug. 6, both at Chase Stadium.

The 31-year-old, who is nicknamed “El Motorcito” (Little Motor) for his boundless energy and work rate, will now get to train and play alongside Messi every day in the buildup to the 2026 World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

De Paul has been a mainstay for Atleti for the past five years, and before that played in Italy for Udinese. He is a box-to-box midfielder who played a crucial role for Argentina in the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America.

He also did a stint with Spanish club Valencia from 2014 to 2016, when Gary Neville was the coach there. Phil Neville, Gary’s brother and the former Inter Miami coach, was an assistant coach with Valencia at that time and has fond memories of De Paul.

“He was a very talented young player with great energy and enthusiasm to play football,” Neville told the Miami Herald, when asked about the possibility of De Paul joining Miami. “He worked so hard every day, and you could tell he was going to have a really great career. He had an infectious personality in the locker room and was loved by all his teammates.”

Messi has the same type of on-field telepathy with De Paul as he does with Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. De Paul always knows where Messi is, provides delivery to the Argentine icon and takes on the role of enforcer/bodyguard when the two are on the field together.

Messi already has a professional bodyguard, Yassine Cheuko, and now he will have a second.

Suarez, 38, and Busquets, who turns 37 this month, have not renewed their contracts, which expire at the end of this season. Busquets will make $8.8 million this season, second-highest salary on the team behind Messi ($20.5 million), and Suarez makes $1.5 million.

The addition of De Paul ensures that Messi has a world-class midfield partner and a close friend on the team for potentially his final season in 2026, especially if Suarez and Busquets decide to retire.

MLS rules allow just three Designated Players with salaries exceeding the league maximum. Right now those are Messi, Busquets and Alba, who recently signed a contract extension through 2027. Messi has not signed his contract extension yet, but negotiations have been ongoing for months, and the De Paul signing indicates that Messi’s deal will follow, which certainly would boost ticket sales for the new Miami Freedom Park Stadium, due to open in Spring 2026.