Paulo Dybala believes Roma is a ‘unique’ club with warm and incredible people, while coach Jose Mourinho is always ‘direct and sincere’. The Argentine talent spoke with the TV show DAZN heroes (as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport) about his career in the Italian capital and touched on a number of different subjects. La Joya made the switch last summer, having spent much of his player career with Juventus, and began by discussing his first impressions of his new home and the warmth of Roma:
“The people here are so warm and incredible. From the first day they made me feel this warmth. Hearing the anthem of the Roma fans before the game is something unique. To experience something like that is like standing in front of a work of art.”
“The coach? Jose Mourinho has an important image and power because of everything he represents in the world of football. Yes, he would be a good chess player. Before coming here to Roma we spoke twice and he called me when I was still in Turin. He is very good when he talks and when he wants to get ‘inside’ someone. I felt a special feeling with him: it is difficult in the world of football, to find someone who tells you things to your face in a sincere way. With him I have a direct and sincere relationship, we compare ourselves a lot. We want the best for people. He has made history in football. He is very sincere, he is good at preparing games. Almost all the things he tells you, then happen on the pitch.
“He understands football very well, the fact that he has won in almost every team he has coached testifies to that. In January 2022, Mourinho approached me during Roma-Juventus 3-4 and said ‘You are a phenomenon’? It’s true, that’s the first thing he reminded me of when he called me. It had never happened to me that a coach of another team did something like that during the game. Against Manchester in the Champions League, when I was still playing for Juve, we had argued, I had gone to tell him that he didn’t need to make that gesture. But that incident stayed on the pitch.”
“The 10 shirt? Roma’s number 10 will always be Francesco Totti. Just as it will always be for Del Piero in Juve. At Juve the club asked me directly to wear the 10 and it was a huge pleasure. Will it also happen at Roma? Never say never… Obviously it would be a unique responsibility. My role in the Giallorossi chessboard? The King is Mourinho, while the Queen is the whole team. Don’t say it’s me: rather I feel like a pawn….
“The penalty kick during the World Cup final? I’m honest, I was cold at that moment. Since the France player before me missed the penalty, I already knew where I was going to shoot and I went 100% sure. And the ball went in.”
