Rodrigo De Paul made his debut for Inter Miami CF on Wednesday night in a dramatic 2-1 win over Atlas in the 2025 Leagues Cup, making the starting line up alongside Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Marcelo Weigandt scored a late goal from a Messi assist to hand Miami a win in its opening match of the Leagues Cup. De Paul played the full 90 minutes and was his usual industrious self in midfield, bossing the middle of the field and connecting on passes all over the pitch.
Though De Paul had yet to formally train with the club, head coach Javier Mascherano revealed De Paul worked separately to remain in shape ahead of the game. De Paul also remained active throughout the summer, participating in the Club World Cup with Atlético Madrid before sealing the move to Miami.
“While it’s true he can’t train with the group, he’s been training separately. He’s been training for the last few weeks. He’s physically fine,” said Mascherano.
The coach teased the possibility of playing De Paul on Wednesday night, revealing that the midfielder would be immediately called up once he received the necessary visa and paperwork.
“We’re waiting for the paperwork to arrive so he can be called up. If he’s cleared, he’ll be called up. That’s clear,” said Mascherano on Tuesday.
De Paul is no stranger to connecting with Messi on the pitch, featuring alongside the No. 10 to win the 2022 World Cup, and the 2021 and 2024 Copa America titles for Argentina. The midfielder also played alongside Suárez in Europe, coinciding for the 2021-22 season at Atleti.
After the match against Atlas, Miami hosts Necaxa and Pumas in hopes of qualifying for the knockout round. The club won the inaugural Leagues Cup trophy in 2023.
