It was finally confirmed that Rodrigo De Paul will leave Atlético Madrid and European soccer altogether to join close friend Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed what many had speculated over the past week. Miami will pay a fee of €15 million ($17.6 million) to sign the Argentina international from Atléti. De Paul will join the Herons and ink a new four-year contract.
Miami continue to load-up as they aim for their first ever MLS Cup title. After signing Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquetes and Luis Suárez, De Paul joins looking to improve on their first round exist in last year’s MLS Cup playoffs.
The 2022 World Cup Champion is only 31-years-old and has plenty left in the tank. Miami fans will be delighted with the move that will see yet another a high-profile name wearing the pink shirt at Chase Stadium.
But, what number will be on the back of De Paul’s pink Miami shirt?
Rodrigo De Paul Shirt Number History
De Paul made his professional debut over a decade ago for Argentinian giants Racing Club, donning the No.20 on his back. Soon, after leaving positive impressions during his first games, he took over the then vacant No.10 shirt until he departed the club in 2014.
Valencia in La Liga were De Paul’s next destination, making his European soccer debut returning to the No.20. After failing to impress, he returned to Racing in 2016, temporarily wearing No.30 before reuniting with his debut number prior to his final departure from the club.
De Paul joined Udinese in the summer of 2016. He’d go on to spend five seasons with the Serie A club, bearing the No.10 shirt the entirety of his tenure. Once he moved to Atlético Madrid in 2021, he took on the No.5 shirt for Diego Simeone’s side, the number he’d use for his entire stint in Spain’s capital.
For Argentina, De Paul first featured wearing No.16, the number he wore during his first international tournament for La Albiceleste: the 2019 Copa América. After brief appearances wearing 15 and 8, De Paul eventually took over the No.7 shirt and went on to win two Copa América titles and one World Cup title wearing the lucky number.
Inter Miami Available Shirt Numbers
Joining the Herons mid season means there’s not a large amount of high-profile numbers at De Paul’s disposal. The No.5 and No.7 have been the numbers most related to De Paul recently, but those are currently owned by Sergio Busquets and Fafa Picault.
Messi notoriously owns the No.10, the number De Paul most commonly used in the early part of his career. However, there’s an intriguing option for the Argentine midfielder to go back to.
The No.20 is available for De Paul to take over upon arrival. The number he donned in his professional debut and his European soccer debut could also be the one he selects for his MLS introduction. The 20 has been vacant since 2022, making it almost too predictable that De Paul will wear it for his opening act with Miami.
De Paul could also opt to wear 16, the number he used when he first played alongside Messi with Argentina. Another option would be to wear No.4, like other central midfielders have done in the past such as Pep Guardiola, Cesc Fàbregas and Patrick Vieira.
Other less likely available options include 3, 12 and 13. However, De Paul could potentially arrive to the U.S. and immerse himself in the country’s culture, opting to wear an iconic NBA number in 23.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rodrigo De Paul’s Potential Shirt Numbers at Inter Miami.