'Would Go To War For Him,' Argentina’s Winger Who Plays In Serie A, Hails Lionel Messi

Argentina’s winger, Rodrigo De Paul has said he would “go to war” for Lionel Messi as he revealed the jovial side of his national skipper.

De Paul, who currently plays for Serie A club Udinese, made his Argentina debut in 2018 under the leadership of Messi, who was appointed Argentina’s captain in 2011. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder has played 18 international matches over the last two years and has enjoyed playing alongside the FC Barcelona captain.

In an interview with FIFA.com, De Paul has explained that Messi’s frankness makes him an ideal leader on and off the field.

"You look up to him obviously, but when you start sharing things with him, he is so transparent that instead of telling him what you think of him, you feel more like asking him about his little kids or of reminding him of the time he took you out with his studs up in a Valencia-Barcelona game. When he becomes your captain, you’d go to war for him if he asked you to," added De Paul about Messi.

De Paul, who has made 146 competitive appearances for the Italian club Udinese since 2016, has also spoken about the times when Messi makes jokes with him despite being such a big figure in the game.

"The key thing is that everyone knows what they’re expected to do, nobody is trying to hog the headlines. The only untouchable one is Leo. The rest of us contribute by doing whatever is asked of us. That's what they say, but sometimes I’ll just throw an idea out and some others will quickly run with it...Tucu Pereyra, Leo Paredes...Even Messi himself will join in – I'm not the only one," De Paul added in the same FIFA.com interview.

While De Paul is yet to score a goal for Argentina, he has netted 45 goals across his club career so far, out of which, 25 have come in his Udinese jersey.