“Focus only on the Cape Verde match. Nothing else.” Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul has warned his teammates ahead of their round-of-16 clash, telling the squad’s younger players that every time they put on the jersey could be the last.
Argentina face Cape Verde in Miami on Saturday at 4 a.m. Bangladesh time. De Paul said: “Thinking beyond the next match would be a big mistake. The next match could be the last. That’s how I’ve always looked at it. But to make sure it isn’t the last, I’ll do everything I need to. That’s my mentality.”
This World Cup has already produced several upsets. Paraguay eliminated Germany on penalties. Tournament favorites the Netherlands lost to Morocco on penalties. DR Congo nearly knocked out England, and Senegal came close to stopping Belgium.
De Paul, who recently joined Inter Miami, urged his teammates to learn from these results and give everything for the sky-blue-and-white jersey.
“We’re telling the young players: when you put on this national team jersey, it could be the last time. Play to make sure it isn’t. That’s how I’ve played for the last eight or nine years. When I wear this jersey, I never look back. Playing for your country, wearing the national team jersey, is the highest honor. You have to give your absolute best for it,” he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report