De Paul returns to Mestalla made a man

Updated:07/11/2021 00:55h

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Still bruised from the painful loss at Anfield, Atlético are seeking redemption on their return to domestic competition. It is time to measure up to Valencia de Bordalás, an uncomfortable rival to which, however, the brilliance that it exhibited at the beginning of the course has faded. The duel in Mestalla will be special for
Rodrigo de PaulWell, he returns to what was his home for a year and a half on his first adventure in Europe. The Argentine, now consecrated, has a bittersweet memory of his stay in the capital of the Turia. He arrived with just 20 years and marked with the label of future star. “The soccer player with the most projection who has left Argentina in the last five years,” he said. Juan Antonio Pizzi, the champion of his signing with Roberto Ayala. So much expectation took its toll. At the moment of truth he did not play much, and when he did, he did not stand out especially. To make matters worse, he had one of the most unfortunate performances in memory. He made his debut in a Sevilla-Valencia, first day of 2014-15, replacing Paco Alcácer in the 65th minute. Barely sixty seconds later he elbowed Aleix Vidal in a struggle and was expelled. Four games were suspended for him.

A year and a half later, Valencia took advantage of the winter market to send him on loan back to Racing de Avellaneda. That first stage in Spain closed it with a total of 44 games (half of them as a starter), two goals and four assists. In the memory of the Valencian fans he remained as a talented player, but too intermittent.

Metamorphosis in Udine

At the end of his loan, Valencia found him a place in the Udinese, a mid-table team in the Italian league in which De Paul underwent an absolute transformation. Its final takeoff occurred with the arrival of Luca Gotti to the ‘bianconero’ bench, which delayed and centered the Argentine’s position, giving him much more prominence with the ball. As a result, De Paul went from being a good attacking midfielder to a total midfielder, capable of deploying in defense with brutal intensity and accompanying and leading the rest of the team in attacking plays. In five years in Udine he improved his numbers season after season.

Followed for years with greedy eyes by Diego Simeone and Andrea Berta, Atlético decided to take the step to be hired at the end of last season. The announcement of his signing came two days after De Paul was proclaimed champion of the Copa América with Argentina, a tournament in which his performance was decisive. His was the assistance in the final for Di María to decide the duel against Brazil. Later, he did not hesitate to shorten his vacations to join the mattress discipline as soon as possible in the preseason.

From Paul go back to Mestalla just a week after signing his best performance as a rojiblanco in the match against Betis (3-0), where for the first time he was fully adapted and taking the lead of the team with force. “He will surely be grateful for his time at Valencia and will have great memories, for growth and for reaching Europe,” Simeone said yesterday at a press conference about De Paul, who will once again be part of the eleven accompanying Koke in the core. With Savic and Griezmann back after missing the Champions League match, everything indicates that the coach will repeat the squad with which Betis was thrashed.

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