Rodrigo De Paul: From Racing to MLS Millionaire
The 1-1 draw between Inter Miami and the Chicago Fire should have drifted quietly to its conclusion. Instead, it erupted.
A late flashpoint between Robert Lewandowski and Ian Fray turned a routine MLS night into something far more charged. After the pair exchanged shoves, Rodrigo De Paul sprinted into the frame, went straight for Lewandowski and made his message unmistakable: nobody touches his teammate without an answer.
It was raw, emotional, and entirely on brand for a midfielder who has built a career – and a fortune – on intensity and loyalty.
From Racing to Miami: the making of a multimillionaire
De Paul’s reaction put him back under the spotlight, but his journey to this point has been long and expensive. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Argentina international’s net worth is estimated at $25 million, a figure shaped by more than a decade of salaries, bonuses and endorsements across Argentina, Spain, Italy and now the United States.
The clearest snapshot of his current earning power sits in MLS. Figures published by the MLS Players Association list De Paul on a base salary of $7.57 million with around $9.69 million in guaranteed annual compensation for 2026. Only Lionel Messi and Son Heung-min earn more in the league.
He did not arrive at that bracket overnight. De Paul came through at Racing Club in Argentina, earning his first professional wages in Avellaneda before Valencia took him to Europe. His career truly caught fire at Udinese, where five relentless seasons in Serie A turned him from promising playmaker into a complete, all-action midfielder.
That transformation convinced Atlético Madrid to pay approximately €35 million for him in 2021. Four years later, Inter Miami spent around €14.5 million to bring him permanently to MLS. Those transfer fees went to clubs, not directly into De Paul’s bank account, but the numbers chart his rise and his growing leverage every time a new contract landed on the table.
Capology estimates that De Paul has pulled in close to $29.9 million in gross base salary alone across his career, excluding bonuses, endorsements and image rights. The true total is higher, but the exact figure is locked behind private agreements and performance clauses.
Champion with Argentina, star earner in MLS
His international success adds another layer. De Paul became a central figure in Argentina’s golden era under Lionel Scaloni, the tireless runner and enforcer at Messi’s side. He helped deliver the Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024 and, most famously, the 2022 World Cup.
FIFA awarded the Argentine federation $42 million for winning that World Cup, but it never disclosed how much of that pot went to each player. The same goes for the bonuses tied to those Copa América triumphs. Without verified figures, those numbers stay in the realm of educated guesswork, not hard accounting.
What is clear is the contrast with Lewandowski, the man on the other side of that late confrontation. The Polish striker owns a club résumé stacked with Champions League glory, Bundesliga titles and scoring records, but he has never lifted a major trophy with Poland. De Paul’s pride runs through a different story: less about club silverware, more about becoming the relentless heartbeat of a world champion national team and the teammate who runs, tackles and argues for everyone around him.
Family, fashion and a permanent reminder on his neck
Away from the pitch, De Paul’s life has rarely been quiet. He is the youngest of three sons born to Mónica Ferrarotti and Roberto De Paul. In Argentina, his private life often shares the headlines with his football. He has two children, Francesca and Bautista, from his former relationship with Camila Homs, and the ups and downs of that relationship have been dissected in the local media almost as intensely as his performances.
His European chapter stretched for roughly 11 years, from his move to Valencia in 2014 to his departure from Atlético Madrid to Inter Miami in 2025. Over that time, he built a strong interest in fashion and body art. The most striking example sits on his neck: the date of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph, inked permanently into his skin.
It is a reminder of where his career peaked, and why, when tempers flared in Miami and a superstar striker squared up to a teammate, De Paul charged in without hesitation. This is how he plays, how he lives, and, increasingly, how he earns.
