Last year’s FIFA World Cup win for Argentina was nothing less than a cinematic spectacle. After a rollercoaster ride of emotions, La Albicelste was able to bring back the prestigious trophy after 36 years. But behind this historic win was a special vow that was made by none other than Lionel Messi to one of his teammates, Rodrigo De Paul.

The revelation came from De Paul himself while he was explaining how he got injured before the quarterfinals against the Netherlands. 

Lionel Messi’s promise to Rodrigo De Paul before the nervy World Cup quarterfinals

In an interview with ESPN Argentina, Rodrigo De Paul narrated that he had picked up an injury at an unfortunate time. He said, “When I go to have the ultrasound, they tell me that it was torn and that it was a grade one. I say, what is a grade one? It’s 10 or 15 days, they tell me, and I tell them: ‘No, I play the day after tomorrow. That night was very hard because I didn’t know what to do.”

De Paul suddenly had a fear in his mind that his side may not advance to the next stage of the competition, and the RO16 against Australia would be his last match. When he went to discuss his situation with his friend Lionel Messi, the skipper replied, “Don’t play; I’m going to take you to the semifinal; you’re going to play the semifinal.”

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Yet, De Paul didn’t listen to Messi, as he was adamant to decide for himself. Additionally, his beloved girlfriend, Titi, offered her advice to “do what you feel you won’t regret” on a video call. The next day, he underwent a fitness test, and his fitness coach insisted that he wasn’t ready.

While doing the last two tests, De Paul revealed closing his eyes and ‘risk one more time’, even if it breaks his body. Notably, nothing happened to the midfielder, as he surprised Lionel Messi and the fitness coach with the news. “I went to talk to Leo and the technician, and I told him that I was there [to play], and he told me, ‘What was it, a miracle?'” To which, De Paul replied, “No, but I’m fine.'”

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Initially, the coach warned De Paul that he wouldn’t be substituted in just 10 minutes of the World Cup quarterfinal. But De Paul responded, “No, no, stay calm.” Remarkably, De Paul was able to play 66 minutes against the Dutch side. Sadly, after he came off the bench, the course of the match changed as it went to extra time with a 2-2 draw.

However, it seems Lionel Messi eventually kept his promise, as Lionel Scaloni’s side defeated Louis Van Gaal’s side 2-4 on penalties. Either way, it was quite an interesting unheard tale from De Paul.

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