Rodrigo de Paul describes the “golden cage” of football life

“I live in a golden cage,” Rodrigo de Paul says. The Inter Miami midfielder discussed the less visible side of life as a professional footballer in an interview with Luzu TV, weighing the advantages of the career against the time it takes from him.

Footballers are often seen as having travel, luxury, high salaries and every comfort they need. But money does not always bring happiness, even if it can sometimes help. De Paul sums up the other side of those privileges: “You gain a lot of things, but you are deprived of enjoying them because your life does not let you be in the places you want to be.”

For him, time is the most valuable thing. He says he has not celebrated a birthday with his mother, siblings or friends for ten years. He also explains: “Yes, I have free time, but I can’t visit them whenever I want.” Social life, he adds, is difficult: “I come out of training and maybe I’m alone. It’s hard.”

The former Atlético de Madrid player believes he missed an important period: his youth. His career took him from Racing Club de Avellaneda to Valencia, then back to Racing Club, before spells at Udinese Calcio and Atlético de Madrid, and his current club, Inter Miami. Those moves help explain his point: the benefits of the profession do not always make up for being away from the places and people that matter to him.