De Paul, Messi reunited at Miami as Beckham praises ‘leader’

World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul has called Inter Miami “incredible” after joining the club on a loan deal from Atletico Madrid that will require Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba or Lionel Messi to leave in January.

Midfielder De Paul is expected to join Miami permanently as a Designated Player (DP) – whose full salary does not count against the squad’s overall salary cap – before the start of next season, meaning one of their three existing DPs will have to make way.

Center-back Busquets is most likely to leave because Alba signed a contract extension earlier this year and Messi is in negotiations to extend his deal.

Ready. Set. Go. 💗 pic.twitter.com/0hgoL6ChnM

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 26, 2025

Rodrigo De Paul Inter Miami transfer

“What brings me to Inter Miami is the desire to compete, win titles, to write the pages in the club’s history,” said the 31-year-old, whose 62 appearances alongside Messi for Argentina have included their victorious Copa America finals in 2021 and 2024 and World Cup final in 2022.

“It’s a club that is shaping up to be great, to have a long history, so that many people follow this incredible team.”

Miami co-owner and former England captain David Beckham called De Paul “a player I’ve admired for many years”.

“As a leader, he has brought so much to the teams he has played for — especially with Argentina,” said Beckham.

“He brings experience, passion and quality to our team and to our city. I’m excited to welcome another World Cup-winning player not just to Inter Miami, but also to MLS.”

Rodrigo De Paul contract, salary, transfer fee

Miami will pay the Spanish side $16 million for De Paul, according to AS, with The Athletic reporting that he will earn around $750,000 for the rest of 2025.

The report added that signing De Paul while staying within salary cap limits would “no doubt stretch credulity” for Miami, but that MLS and club sources considered the move “by the book”, with the player giving up or defering salary.

Former Racing Club, Valencia and Udinese player De Paul earns around $150,000 a week on an Atleti contract until 2026, according to Capology.

Rodrigo De Paul stats: Atletico Madrid, Argentina

De Paul has contributed 57 goals and 74 assists across almost 500 club appearances, including 187 games, 14 goals, and 26 assists for Atleti, winning a place in LaLiga’s team of the season for 2024/25.

He has won 78 caps and established himself as a starter for Argentina since making his senior international debut in 2018 and will expect to be in the US, Canada and Mexico next year for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said signing a player of De Paul’s “caliber” was part of Miami’s ambition to “inspire our fans to dream”.

“He is a winner who has conquered the world stage… Rodrigo joining our roster is another landmark as we continue on this journey to change the trajectory of the sport in this country and make our fans proud,” added Mas.

How to watch Inter Miami v Cincinnati: Live stream, TV channel

De Paul will be introduced to fans before kick-off in Miami’s home game against Cincinnati at Chase Stadium and will begin training with the team once he has received international clearance and a visa.

Kick-off on Saturday is at 19:15 ET (16:15 PT on Saturday / 00:15 BST on Sunday), with live coverage available through the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

In the US, a subscription costs $14.99 a month or $69 a season. Existing Apple TV+ subscribers pay $12.99 per month or $59 a season.