In Miami, where the football calendar arrives with sunshine and spectacle, Rodrigo De Paul has offered a more private account of life at the top of the game. The Inter Miami midfielder says the rewards of becoming a global player come with absences that money and status cannot repair.
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Speaking on Luzu TV, the Argentina international reflected on the less visible demands placed on elite footballers: the travel, relocations and the distance from the people and places that shape everyday life.
“It is hard to be a superstar,” De Paul said. “You gain many things, but you are prevented from enjoying them because your life does not allow you to be in the places where you want to be.”
For the former Atlético Madrid midfielder, time is the greatest loss. He said he has not celebrated a birthday with his mother, siblings or friends for a decade, despite having periods away from training and matches.
“Time is the most valuable thing,” he explained. “I have free time, but I cannot go and visit whenever I want.”
De Paul also believes professional football took away an important part of his youth. His career has required repeated adaptation, not only to new dressing rooms and tactical demands but to new homes, social circles and family routines.
He began at Racing Club in Avellaneda, moved to Valencia, returned to Racing, then continued his European journey with Udinese and Atlético Madrid before arriving at Inter Miami. Such moves can mean uprooting a household, relocating relatives and, for players with children, changing schools as well as countries.
The 32-year-old said the social side of those transitions can be particularly difficult. “I leave training and perhaps I am alone,” he said. “It is tough.”
His summary of that experience was stark: “I live in a golden prison.”
De Paul’s remarks add to a wider conversation among leading players about mental health and the pressures behind the luxury associated with elite football. In his view, reaching the biggest clubs requires more than technical ability; it also demands the mental resilience to withstand everything that follows.
