Former Chile international Patricio Mardones has taken aim at Rodrigo De Paul, claiming Argentina continues to pick him only because he is Lionel Messi’s friend.
Rodrigo De Paul Started As Argentina Beat Chile In World Cup Qualifier
Despite playing without their captain, Messi, Argentina claimed a comfortable 3-0 victory over Chile in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Thursday, September 5. De Paul started in the middle of the park and put in a decent shift to help his team to maximum points.
The Atletico Madrid midfielder completed 67 of 74 passes (91% accuracy), delivered eight accurate long balls, created a game-high five chances, and had three shots. Coming to the defense, the central midfielder made nine recoveries, had three interceptions, and won three ground duels.
Mardones Slams “Unpleasant” De Paul
De Paul had a pretty decent game against Chile, but Mardones did not like what he saw. He called the 30-year-old a limited player, claiming he only got to play for Argentina because of his excellent relationship with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi.
He said (via TNT Sports):
“There is a nasty player, Rodrigo De Paul. Watching the match between Argentina and Chile, I would tell him on the pitch ‘wow, you’re bad’. He is a limited player who works hard.
“He has very good teammates who make up for that limitation. I would have told him: ‘You are bad and you play because you are a friend of Messi.’ De Paul makes me feel that way, he’s a very unpleasant guy.”
De Paul made his Argentina debut under Lionel Scaloni on October 11, 2018. The midfielder has since played 70 matches for La Albiceleste, scoring twice and providing 11 assists.
De Paul is one of Messi’s closest friends and is always ready to go to battle for his captain. Thanks to his closeness with Messi, many jokingly refer to De Paul as the Inter Miami star’s bodyguard.
De Paul is not as creatively inclined as most of his teammates. However, he more than makes up for it with his unmatched work rate. He started each game as Argentina secured the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. De Paul also proved his mettle as La Albiceleste won consecutive Copa America trophies in 2021 and 2024, featuring in 11 of 13 games and chipping in with one goal and two assists.
