Rodrigo de Paul noticed Lionel Messi leaving training alone one afternoon, looking subdued. So the midfielder waited about 40 minutes, then knocked on his door. "Fancy a mate and a game of truco?" he asked. That simple invitation — sharing the South American tea drink and a card game — sparked a friendship that many credit with transforming Messi’s international career and helping Argentina build something truly special around their greatest player.
Before that moment, De Paul’s only connection to Messi had been asking for a photo after a Valencia–Barcelona match, which he proudly posted on social media. Now, every morning at national team camps, mate is served in De Paul’s room, with Messi arriving first, followed by other players in order of arrival. The routine is strict: nobody can jump the queue. De Paul sometimes calls his famous friend “El Pequeno” (the little one), even though Messi is older. He needles him and treats him like a normal guy rather than a monument — because that, teammates say, is what Messi actually craves: to be Leo, not “the Messi.”
Manager Lionel Scaloni has deliberately built a team culture that centers on friendship, shared meals, and genuine connection. “The best moments of all, by far, are celebrations of the group,” he said. “I coach for this, not because I like a 4-3-3. I like drinking mate with my friends and players, sharing a barbecue, playing truco, as we have always done.” The squad wears matching Adidas Adistar Messi boots. For Messi’s birthday in June, teammates wore T-shirts printed with photos of themselves alongside Leo from across his years with the national team.
Walking out to the pitch, Messi leads, De Paul at his side, the rest of the squad fanning out behind in a wedge — like a street gang protecting its leader. For many of this group, Messi was never just a teammate first; he was the childhood idol on television, the reason some of them picked up a ball at all.
The approach is producing real results. Argentina have won their past three major semi-finals and lifted four trophies in this cycle: two Copa Americas, a World Cup, and a Finalissima. Messi himself has done his part, completing months of double training sessions with De Paul and paying obsessive attention to nutrition. According to a nutritionist close to his camp, his top speed is now about 5% higher than at the 2022 World Cup. He walks for 47% of matches and has covered only 631 metres at maximum speed across the tournament — efficient, calculated running that saves his energy for the moments that matter most.
He is also the tournament’s top scorer. Only two players in history have 10 or more direct goal involvements across two different World Cups: Messi, with 10 in 2022 and 10 again now, and France’s Kylian Mbappé, with 10 and then 11.
There was a moment after Argentina came back from 2-0 down to reach the World Cup quarter-finals when Messi simply could not stop crying — relief mixed with the weight of knowing this might be his last chance. But somewhere in all that emotion, there is enormous happiness for a man who has finally found his people. As Messi himself said of Scaloni: “I still tease him — he used to kick lumps out of me in training at the 2006 World Cup.” The teasing continues, and so does the joy of playing alongside friends who would do anything to see him lift one more trophy.