If there is a player from Atlético de Madrid who has stepped up this season, it is undoubtedly Rodrigo de Paul, an indisputable piece. He even started the season with some criticism after his low performance against Villarreal, receiving significant boos from the Metropolitano against Las Palmas. The world champion began to grow from that moment and is one of the footballers delivering the best performance this year.
Additionally, although he is far from making history, he has entered the select group that has played the most matches in the history of the colchonero team. Specifically, he is in the Top-100 after matching Simao with 168 official commitments in the red-and-white jersey, although he will continue climbing. In fact, he already has two more relevant names in the history of the Madrid club within reach, who are just above the Argentine international.
Rodrigo de Paul Closes in on Simeone
All the fans now agree that this version of the midfielder is the one they have been waiting for since his signing was completed in the summer of 2021. Until now, only small flashes of Rodrigo de Paul had been seen, especially in those matches that had greater importance. That has been his main change, as Simeone stated, because the player now doesn't choose the scenarios and is giving 100% in all the matches.
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For this reason, he has been chosen as the best player of the squad for the month of January and has reached 168 commitments with Atlético de Madrid. This way, he equals Simao and is very close to surpassing both Diego Pablo Simeone and Luis Pereira, both indisputable legends. The current red-and-white coach wore the colchonero jersey on 172 occasions, while the Brazilian defender did so on 171.
A Leader in Atlético de Madrid
Another aspect that Rodrigo de Paul has improved is his attitude, as he is showing all that leadership that has always been seen with the Argentina national team. He has three goals and seven assists this season, showing that he is much more committed to the team than in previous years. Additionally, he will have even more importance soon, as Koke has suffered a muscle injury and will be out for several weeks.
In this new scenario, Simeone will find it very difficult to rotate in the midfield, a situation many saw as inevitable during the winter market. It will be an opportunity to see more minutes for Conor Gallagher and to recover Marcos Llorente for the midfield, something the Cholo already warned about. A carousel of matches will begin that could define what the colchoneros' aspirations are in the coming months.