The 2023/24 domestic season is over, which means the countdown for the international campaign begins. Argentina looks set for the 2024 Copa America as they released their squad list for the CONMEBOL tournament. Surprisingly, star player Paulo Dybala didn’t make the cut. While fingers are being raised at Lionel Scaloni, Rodrigo De Paul understands the situation. The midfielder claims that, except for Lionel Messi, no one is guaranteed a spot as others will have to ‘fight‘ for their place.

Speaking to journalist Germán Carrara and as complied by @AlbicelesteTalk on X, De Paul said, “Paulo not being here is a hard blow, because I care about him and he’s my friend. He knows he’s part of this, and if things go well, his name is there because we all contribute our grain of sand.” While he expressed sadness over Dybala’s absence, he gave the AS Roma forward a hard pill to swallow. 

De Paul revealed what the La Albiceleste head coach feels about other players except Messi, “Scaloni has always been very clear with us after becoming world champions: there is only one player who has a guaranteed spot here, and that’s the number 10 (Messi). The rest of us have to fight and do our best in our teams to be here.” Notably, Scaloni released a 29-man preliminary squad for the upcoming friendlies against Ecuador on June 10 and Guatemala on June 14, and the list is expected to be further cut short. 

Interestingly, Dybala isn’t alone as goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, center-back pair Nicolas Otamendi and Juan Foyth, and forgotten star Mauro Icardi are nowhere to be seen. However, even though De Paul acknowledges the evergreen presence of Messi in the team, that may not guarantee them the status of favorites either!

Rodrigo De Paul believes that having Lionel Messi still doesn’t make Argentina favorites for Copa America

Rodrigo De Paul is aware of the significant challenges that Argentina would face from the opposition in the upcoming Copa America. Even though the expectations are high for the 2022 World Champions to lift the trophy, Scaloni and Co. are ready to defend what they’ve achieved in the previous installment. While everyone would be eager to defeat the reigning champions, De Paul is optimistic about the challenge. 

“Because we have Leo, that doesn’t mean anything,” acknowledged De Paul, emphasizing that soccer is a sport where not every time the favorites would have a chance. He added that Argentina is preparing as if it’s their first time and looking to hit the ground running. It seems the formidable champions are determined not to take anything lightly, even though they have Lionel Messi, who remains irreplaceable on the team.