Argentine captain Lionel Messi praised Rodrigo De Paul for facilitating his integration with his national teammates, highlighting that De Paul’s personality reminded him of former Paris Saint-Germain winger Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Messi and De Paul are known to be close friends. De Paul, who currently plays for Atletico Madrid, often accompanies Messi during training sessions and international matches for Argentina.
Speaking on the Clank podcast (via Roy Nemer on X), Messi said:
“It’s very challenging to integrate into groups, especially due to my personality. Rodrigo [De Paul] has helped me immensely. He really reminds me of Pocho [Ezequiel Lavezzi].”
