Lionel Messi's ‘bodyguard' Rodrigo De Paul joins Inter Miami: What can MLS expect?

New York Times

3 days ago

Yassine Cheuko became a household name when his role as Lionel Messi's personal bodyguard hit mainstream news following his move to Inter Miami.
Cheuko has been acting as Messi's shadow off the pitch for several years and, after he moved to America in 2023, on it too, fending off pitch invaders trying to get a hug or photo. That was until Major League Soccer banned him from the touchline for matches this year. So, who can protect him now?
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Step forward, Rodrigo De Paul.
The midfielder is Messi's Argentina team-mate, and has gained a reputation on social media for being Messi's protector on the pitch when the pair play together for their country. And now, the 31-year-old midfielder has completed a move to Inter Miami from Atletico Madrid of La Liga.
What could we expect to see in MLS?
When De Paul and Messi are on international duty, they are regularly pictured standing near each other during training sessions. During matches, the midfielder always has one eye on his team-mate, and you don't have to look far to find a couple of recent examples.
In the opening minutes of Argentina's most recent fixture — a 1-1 draw against Colombia in World Cup qualifying a month ago — Daniel Munoz fouled Messi while De Paul was standing on the edge of the box.
As soon as he spotted the foul, De Paul was on the move and quickly made his way to the referee, gesturing to show he thought a yellow card would be an appropriate punishment for the foul (a tug of the shirt and shoulder) committed on his team-mate.
It was a similar story against Peru towards the end of last year. As Messi was sandwiched between two opponents, he was fouled. De Paul's reaction was more reserved initially…
… but he still found himself face-to-face with the referee.
Nicknamed 'El Motorcito' (The Little Engine), De Paul's presence in the Argentina side has increased in importance and responsibility. An all-action midfielder with a relentless work ethic, his competitive attitude has helped him stand out.
His role is to facilitate Messi's brilliance, both physically and tactically. Rather than constantly threading eye-of-the-needle passes, De Paul's value comes from winning the ball back and positioning himself to take defenders away and create space for Messi.
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'Having such a good relationship with him led to us looking for each other a lot on the field and understanding each other so much,' De Paul said in an interview with TyC Sports in 2022. 'What happened on the field happened outside. That relationship was always nurturing, to the point where now we understand each other just by looking at each other.
'In training, I'm a bit annoying, and he sometimes needs something too. So we look at each other and we know when to do it and when not to. That gives me a lot of peace of mind, because knowing that he's up front and that in every situation I get into, he understands what I want to do or say, frees me up a lot when it comes to playing.'
One of the earliest examples of De Paul's extra role for Argentina was the quarter-final in the 2019 Copa America against Chile. After Messi had shoved Gary Medel as he shielded the ball out of play by his own byline, Medel reacted by bumping his chest into Messi's repeatedly, before pushing his head towards him too.
The referee was quick to respond to the confrontation, as was De Paul, who sprinted from near the halfway line.
De Paul has previously admitted he picks a 'rival' during a game with the aim to win that individual battle as well as earn the collective victory. It keeps him alert at all times during the match.
He is not generally the old-school enforcer who targets those who have fouled Messi by purposefully fouling them, but he has shown he can cross the line to match the stereotype.
Against Chile in 2023, Gabriel Suazo swept Messi's legs with a late challenge in the first half.
De Paul appeared to make a mental note. Later, when Suazo attempted to clear a loose ball on the edge of his box, De Paul lined up a shot and on his follow-through, his studs landed on Suazo's ankle.
Later in the half, De Paul cheekily tripped Suazo as he went to take a throw-in…
… but the Chile international returned the favour with a late challenge on De Paul in the second half, earning him a booking.
When Honduras' Deiby Flores served up some rough treatment on Messi in September 2022…
De Paul sprinted over to the midfielder to confront him.
Similarly, when Messi was on the receiving end of two tackles at the same time against Panama in March 2023, De Paul sped over…
… and got in the face of the culprits.
Off the field, the pair share a strong relationship. They spend plenty of time together when away with the national side, share a love of mate (the South American herbal tea), and Messi enjoys De Paul's outspoken, class clown personality.
'Messi is the one who takes care of me — he'd come down and tell me 'come here', 'get like this', it's the opposite,' De Paul said in the interview with Argentinian media outlet Ole. 'I'm around because I love him. We talk a lot. He shows me affection all the time.
'I love spending time with him, we have a lot of fun, with all the kids, but well, we have like a beautiful group. We are kind of idiots with the things that go viral, we boss each other around, we laugh.'
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De Paul will arrive hoping to push Inter Miami up the Eastern Conference. They sit fifth in the table, although they have three or four games in hand on the teams above them due to their participation in the Club World Cup.
Messi has been in electric form in the league scoring 18 goals and providing seven assists in his 18 appearances this season. With the schedule ramping up, having somebody arrive ready to do plenty of his running could make him even more dangerous and allow him to rest on the pitch rather than from the bench.
MLS defenders, be warned.
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