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Rodrigo De Paul has confirmed that he spoke to Lionel Scaloni before joining Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. The Argentina national team coach gave the midfielder his blessing and backed the loan move from Atletico Madrid.
Speaking to the media in a press conference on Friday, August 1, De Paul said that he wants to be a key part of the national team. Hence, spoke to the manager before joining the MLS side. He revealed that Scaloni was willing to pick him as long as he was playing regularly and fit. He said (via All About Argentina):
"I spoke with Scaloni and I was very clear with him about what he needed from me in order for me to continue being part of the Argentina national team project."
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"He told me: 'I know what you can give me on the field, I know who you are. The only thing I'm going to evaluate is what you do on the pitch. As long as you play and are physically fit...' Those were the words I needed to make my decision."
De Paul has joined Inter Miami on an initial loan from Atletico Madrid. Lionel Messi's side have a €15 million option to sign him permanently after the end of the season.
Lionel Messi helped Rodrigo De Paul join Inter Miami
Rodrigo De Paul admitted that Lionel Messi played a key role in his move to Inter Miami. He said that the Argentine superstar was also involved in the negotiations and said (via All About Argentina):
"Every time I talked with Messi, we had the dream of playing together, of bringing what we achieved with the Argentine national team to a club. And, well, that dream started to take some shape when it became known that I had one year left on my contract with Atlético de Madrid."
"When it started to look like it could become a reality, we began to talk and it started to gain momentum. But at the heart of it all was always the dream of sharing a club with Leo and being together every day, sharing the pitch and the locker room. He had the greatness to get involved in the negotiation."
De Paul made his debut for Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup win over Atlas on July 30. Lionel Messi played a key role in the 2-1 win, with the Barcelona legend getting both assists.
