Rodrigo De Paul says he and Lionel Messi have spent the last two or three months on a private training plan — beyond what they do with Inter Miami — running double sessions with their own fitness coach to reach peak shape for the World Cup.
De Paul gave the account on the program Lo Del Pollo, describing a regimen he said began "between two and three months ago" and has included extra work timed around club duties. "We proposed a double shift for ourselves and we have our trainer there and we give it our all," he said, adding that the two push themselves physically to arrive at the tournament in the best possible shape.
The push comes as Messi has been prolific for Inter Miami this season, scoring 11 goals in 12 appearances and providing four assists in the MLS 2026 campaign. He netted twice in Inter Miami’s 5-3 win over Cincinnati, and his form is the backdrop to the private program De Paul described; more on Miami’s schedule can be found ahead of Inter Miami Vs Portland this weekend. The club context is also the business side of Messi’s commitments: his extension made him the top earner in the league and remains part of the conversation around his availability and preparation.
Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni included Messi in a preliminary 55-man roster submitted to FIFA earlier this week, and the squad will play friendlies against Honduras and Iceland before the tournament. Argentina were drawn into Group J for the 2026 World Cup alongside Algeria, Austria and Jordan. De Paul said conversations with Messi about the tournament are constant: "I talk a lot with Leo about the World Cup and the excitement we have," he said, noting the private sessions were planned "thinking about the World Cup." Messi will turn 39 during the tournament.
The friction in this story is plain: Messi has publicly questioned whether he would play in the 2026 World Cup because of his age, and yet De Paul describes a level of preparation that looks designed to counter that uncertainty. The training is happening while Messi remains a central figure at Inter Miami, where his minutes, travel and club obligations are unavoidable. De Paul’s timeline — doubling down on fitness for the last two or three months — suggests a deliberate effort to bridge club demands and a possible final international commitment.
De Paul was explicit about the mechanics of the work: private plans, double sessions, and a dedicated trainer coordinating the extra load. "For the last two or three months, we’ve been preparing for it with a training plan beyond what we do at the club level, thinking about the World Cup," he said, and later: "The two of us push ourselves physically to arrive in the best possible shape. We’re doing double sessions that we planned ourselves, and we have our own fitness coach. We’ve been working hard and things are going well." Those words came as Argentina finalizes preparations and monitors a lead-up program that includes friendlies and a wide preliminary squad.
What matters now is selection and form. Scaloni has left a wide pool with his 55-man list and scheduled warm-up matches against Honduras and Iceland; De Paul’s description of Messi’s extra work makes clear what the captain’s aim is. If the private training continues to yield the kind of production he has shown in MLS — 11 goals in 12 appearances and a standout two-goal performance in the 5-3 win over Cincinnati — it will be harder for anyone in Argentina’s setup to justify excluding him.
De Paul’s account does the most consequential job: it removes ambiguity about intent. The player De Paul describes is not easing toward retirement but preparing, with a partner in Messi, to arrive for the 2026 World Cup in top condition. That commitment, not the calendar, now looks like the clearest indicator that Messi intends to be part of Argentina’s title defense.
