"I’m around because I love him" - Argentina midfielder opens up on his special relationship with Lionel Messi

Argentina ace Rodrigo De Paul has shed light on his heartwarming relationship with captain Lionel Messi, revealing that the 35-year-old does not shy away from showing him affection.

De Paul and Messi have been inseparable since the former’s debut in 2018. The pair wrote the most glorious chapter of their international career together last December, propelling Argentina to their first FIFA World Cup triumph in 36 years.

Over the course of the tournament, De Paul regularly interacted with Messi, joking with him, learning from him, and never leaving his captain's side. Speaking to Argentine outlet Ole, De Paul shed light on his relationship with Messi during the physically and mentally demanding FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar.

“(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 began. “I’m around because I love him … we talk a lot. He shows me affection all the time. (I) was (at) his gala, and he told me ‘And, how are you, are your legs better? Friend, I’m better now.’ Nothing, it’s incredible.”

The Atletico Madrid midfielder added:

“I love spending time with him; we have a lot of fun with all the kids, but hey, we have a beautiful group. We, with the things that go viral, are kind of idiots. We commend each other; we laugh. We have a small group for things that we are seeing that happened in the World Cup.”

Following a shock 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their FIFA World Cup opener, Argentina bounced back spectacularly to win the coveted trophy. Lionel Messi emerged as the star of the show, scoring seven goals and claiming three assists to win the Golden Ball.

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Lionel Messi wins second FIFA ‘The Best’ Player Award

Paris Saint-Germain ace Lionel Messi has been chosen as the ‘The Best’ FIFA Men’s Player for 2022.

The Argentine maverick received the award on Monday night (February 27) in a star-studded ceremony in Paris. It was Messi’s second win since the award ceremony’s rebranding in 2016, with the first one coming in 2019.

Following his heroics at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi's ‘The Best’ Men’s Player Award win was hardly a surprise. The Barcelona legend received a whopping 52 votes to clinch top spot, while his Parisians teammate Kylian Mbappe (44 votes) and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (34 votes) finished second and third, respectively.

Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas was crowned the best women’s player of 2022, while Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni and Sarina Wiegman of England were chosen as the best coaches.