Paulo Dybala: More loved by fans than by his clubs? | OneFootball

Just when a deal seemed done in Saudi Arabia, Roma’s Argentinian star turned his back on a fortune. Giancarlo Rinaldi looks at why the celebrations among the Giallorossi’s supporters may not be echoed in the boardroom.

It is, perhaps, the fate of creative footballers to divide opinion. One man’s only player worth the admission fee is another man’s source of eternal frustration. In a land as results-obsessed as Italy, Paulo Dybala was the latest in a collection of such stars to generate such polar opposite views.

Serie A is where we watched the boy become a man, but it looked as if we were going to have to get out the red and yellow hankies to wave him goodbye to the Saudi Pro League. Another special talent lost to Italy’s top flight, we thought, and a further blow to the division’s prestige. But then he produced a twist in the narrative worthy of his own footballing exploits and announced he was going nowhere. Cue delirium among a section of the Roma support.

La Joya has aroused such passions since the day and hour he set foot on Planet Calcio. His ability to entertain was unequivocally adored in Palermo, where he was part of a sparkling side that made Sicily swoon. It was also where he earned one of the earliest of the daft comparisons that have weighed down many an Argentinian star. President Maurizio Zamparini –  a man prone to exaggeration more than most – dubbed him “the new Sergio Aguero” before patting himself on the back for seeing off the likes of Inter, PSG and Chelsea. It might have been better if he had just let Dybala be Dybala.

Still, the fresh-faced forward shone and, when the goals really started to flow in his third season, he attracted covetous eyes from across Italy and beyond. In the end, it was Juve who found the funds to acquire him and it looked like the perfect fit. Serie A’s most successful side had given one of the league’s most talented individuals a perfect platform to strut his stuff. Having previously won Serie B, the Scudetti would start to pile up with remarkable ease.

His first three seasons in Turin were undoubtedly his best. Although not an out and out striker, he delivered goal returns worthy of any classic number nine. His speed of thought and action left defenders trailling in his wake as he wheeled away with his trademark hand over mouth celebration. He didn’t need to be the new Messi, being the current Dybala was enough.

It would be the arrival of his countryman’s great rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, that probably – with hindsight – hindered his efforts to become a legend with La Vecchia Signora. The Portuguese became the focal point of the attack and that left Dybala – like the rest of the team, really – playing a more supporting role. It was one which he could more than capably perform, but you felt he was selling his talents a bit short by doing so. The net was always that little bit further away and he had a pretty big figure blocking his path.

The goals dried up significantly as he struggled to get to double figures in his remaining four seasons. He could still deliver a great contribution, but not as regularly as during his early impact. Some tifosi started to grumble that he would never be up to the club’s high standards – not dissimilarly to how they viewed Roberto Baggio a few decades before. At any other team he would probably have been a certainty for the Hall of Fame but they are a tough bunch to please at Juventus.

Just the same, he produced some great performances and a better than a goal every three games ratio. He was probably sacrificed at the altar of trying to win the Champions League which became something of an obsession. He might not have delivered that trophy but – for neutrals and Juventini alike – he was a joy to watch.

However, there was a growing feeling that his time under Max Allegri had run its course. Nagging injuries had started to undermine his influence as he struggled to play with the consistency he achieved over six 30-game plus seasons in Serie A between 2014 and 2020. There was a perception – real or imagined – that the club hierarchy would be happy to show him the door.

Finances are a huge part of football and it became ever clearer that there was no place for him in the new Juventus. Perhaps his most ardent fans would have kept him, but he was freeing up a big wage that could be spent elsewhere. Roma were glad to gobble up a proven Serie A performer.

His early impact with the Giallorossi was great but it appeared that history might be repeating itself recently when they looked able to offload him and free up funds to spend elsewhere. A multi-million pound deal was in the pipeline until, it appears, fans let their displeasure be known. Suddenly, Dybala announced he was staying put.

That undoubtedly plays well with supporters and, when he kisses the badge this season, they will have about 75m reasons to believe him. It is very rare in the modern game to see someone forego a fortune to remain loyal. His place in Giallorossi hearts seems secure forever.

That might not be the case with the club’s accountants, though. In the sports business, they now have a large wage to pay that they might have thought they would be clear of. It remains to be seen if it will impact their plans on the pitch.

It is easy to forget that footballers are still human beings, after all. In the early days of the game, players would often return to their club after the summer and find that they had been sold to someone else. Nowadays they wield significantly more power and are not treated like a chairman’s possessions to be bought and sold at a whim. If Roma wanted rid of Dybala, they will have to think again.

In the short-term, at least Daniele De Rossi has a wonderful attacking resource at his disposal that he thought he might have to do without. He confessed recently that he found it hard to imagine his team without their talisman and now he will not have to. What collateral damage there might be – in terms of having to sell other players or find other ways to generate funds – will come out in the wash.

They won’t be too worried among the more passionate sections of the Roma support and he is assured of a hero’s welcome the next time he plays. This is a story that is unusual in the modern era and he will be lauded by supporters for putting passion before pound signs in the summer transfer window. They will cheer, they will applaud and they will no doubt start chanting his name. Just don’t expect the club’s ownership to be joining in any time soon.

@ginkers