De Paul denounces the "baseless conspiracies" against Argentina: "Our ways piss them off"

It will hurt me for a long time, but today more than ever I am proud to be Argentine

Rodrigo De Paul, midfielder for the Argentina national team, said he was hurt by the 1-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup final and lashed out at those who "spread unfounded conspiracies" against the Albiceleste.'

Today I see how many people were waiting for this downfall, spreading baseless conspiracies throughout the entire World Cup to soothe someone else’s pain at not being able to experience what all Argentinians were experiencing

"The greatest pain is because we were unable to bring the World Cup back to our country once again, because if there was anyone who deserved to experience that feeling again, it was you," wrote the Inter Miami midfielder on his Instagram social media profile.

"Today I see how many people were waiting for this downfall, spreading unfounded conspiracies throughout the World Cup to soothe the pain of others for not being able to experience what all of us Argentinians were experiencing, because our smiles bother them, because our ways piss them off (annoy them). But that only reaffirmed that the passion and love for our jersey can overcome anything," he added, referring to those who claimed during the tournament that Argentina was favored by refereeing decisions for political or commercial reasons.

'Moreover, De Paul said he understood that Argentine fans' identification with the "Scaloneta" "goes beyond the trophy" and added: "That is something I want to hold on to in order to get through this moment".'

"It will hurt me for a long time, but today more than ever I am proud to be Argentine," concluded the former Atlético Madrid player.