Mask Off: How Paulo Dybala Delivered When Argentina Needed Him Most | OneFootball

[Editor's Note: This interview was conducted prior to Dybala's season-ending injury in March 2025.]

There are 8,540 miles between Laguna Larga—a small town in Argentina’s Cordoba province— where Paulo Dybala was born on Nov. 15, 1993, and Doha, Qatar, where the forward experienced the biggest moments of his career.

An unpredictable soccer journey, one that started on the local Laguna Larga pitch where spectators sat on car tires and families grilled behind the goal, had already taken Dybala to Doha in 2016 to play the Italian Supercoppa final with Juventus. That day, the penalty spot was fatal as La Joya (Dybala’s nickname, meaning The Jewel) missed the decisive penalty. It was after that miss that he decided to celebrate each goal by covering his face with his hand under his eyes to form what he calls a gladiator mask. The celebration itself, copied by goalscorers around the world, has since become synonymous with Dybala.

“When we fight sometimes we wear a warrior’s mask to be stronger, without losing our smile and kindness. A personal symbol, an emblem of challenge …  a superhero’s mask to make a mark in stadiums and beyond,” Dybala told UEFA.com.

Mask after mask, Dybala became one of the most talented players of his generation, winning numerous trophies with Juventus and now championing Roman hearts as they scream his name at the Stadio Olimpico. Love at first sight in the Eternal City, a fitting place for a man with a gladiator celebration.

Dybala's mask celebration has been mimicked across the sport. / Andrea Staccioli/Insidefoto/LightRocket/Getty Images

In the middle of his journey came the stop of a lifetime—one he could only dream of when he left Argentina to join Palermo at 18 years old. Once again, a final in Doha. Once again, a penalty kick in a critical moment, this time wearing Argentina’s jersey at the pinnacle of the sport in the World Cup final.

“I knew that [Argentina manager Lionel] Scaloni put me in just to take the penalty,” Dybala says. “The pressure was immense, because you’re either a hero or a villain and if you miss, everyone will remember you for playing two minutes and missing the penalty.”

But before converting a crucial penalty to help close out the World Cup, Dybala points to a critical moment. He says his Qatari adventure didn’t start in November with Argentina’s first match, but two months earlier, while he was recovering from a hamstring injury.

“I was dealing with an injury and I had five games left. I didn’t want to waste a single day without being able to recover,” Dybala says. “So when I learned the extent of my injury I talked to people who worked with me. We formed a group and said that we had to find a way to recover as quickly as possible. I mean, what [recovery] machines do we need to use, what kind of diet? We worked on everything. I used to sleep with a machine in order to be ready and I had four machines at home. I used them on a daily basis.”

Like legendary Roma captain Francesco Totti in 2006, who managed to recover from a broken fibula in less than three months for Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning run, Dybala’s dedication saw recovery in time to be named in the provisional list of 29 players for Argentina’s pre-World Cup camp. However, he didn’t know he’d be part of the final squad until just days before the tournament.

“We were training in the United Arab Emirates and I remember the coach gave a speech saying that he would personally inform three players that they wouldn’t be included in the final squad because he had to make the decision to take only 26,” Dybala says. “When that speech ended, I knew I could be one of those three. I was nervous, thinking I might not make the cut.

“Then, I saw him walking toward me, and I thought, I'm out. But he came up to me and said, ‘Train calmly, you're staying.’ I think I lost two or three kilos at that moment. It was a huge personal joy because I felt that all the effort and sacrifices I had made for a month—being meticulous with every little detail—had been rewarded. I knew how much was at stake, and we were all 100% convinced we could win the World Cup.”

However, the 2022 World Cup began more like a horror movie than a fairytale for Argentina. Saudi Arabia stunned Lionel Messi and the world with a 2–1 win in arguably the biggest upset in World Cup history. The stunning collapse meant that if the Albiceleste lost their next match against Mexico, they would be eliminated. After a nervy first half, two second-half goals led Argentina to victory, leading the team to embrace a chant that drove Argentina forward throughout the tournament: “Muchachos, ahora nos volvimos a ilusionar, quiero ganar la tercera, quiero ser campeón mundial.” (Now we’re back to being excited, I want to win the third [World Cup for Argentina], I want to be world champion.)

“Winning against Mexico was one of the most important moments that gave us a confidence boost,” Dybala says. “When Leo scored, and then Enzo sealed the game, we knew we would have qualified because we were sure to win against Poland.”

But for much of the tournament, Dybala was a spectator, waiting until the 74th minute of the semifinal against Croatia to make his first appearance.

“Football it’s crazy, because even in the World Cup in Russia I made my first appearance against Croatia,” Dybala says. “That [first] game was different because we were 2–0 down, while this time we were leading and I enjoyed it a lot. When you are there and you see that there was no game, you just think, this is ours.”

The 3–0 semifinal win put Argentina back in the World Cup final, eight years after losing to Germany in the World Cup final at the Maracanã in Brazil. Just 90 minutes between them and eternal glory.

It was the culmination of a trying year for Dybala, who left Juventus in tears after seven years and five Scudettos, four Coppa Italia trophies and two Italian Supercups.

“Juventus it’s a way of living, and on a professional level you grow immensely, because a draw there is perceived as a loss, so during the week you work hard in every aspect,” Dybala says. “Listening to leaders like [Gianluigi] Buffon, [Giorgio] Chiellini, [Andrea] Barzagli and [Leonardo] Bonucci in the locker room definitely helps you grow. In so many matches, when we were on the tunnel before entering the field we could listen to the opponents and we could sense that many of them were thinking: Well, today we’re going to lose, but hopefully not by too many goals. That speaks of the greatness of the club.”

A football career never follows a script, and Dybala’s was changed by one phone call in summer 2022, mere months before the World Cup. On the other end of the line was legendary manager José Mourinho trying to recruit him to AS Roma.

Although no longer with the club, Mourinho (left) played a critical role in bringing Dybala to Roma. / Fabio Rossi/AS Roma/Getty Images

“Everything felt really strange at that moment—the uncertainty of not knowing where I was going to play, what was going to happen or if I would have to leave Italy, which has practically become my home,” Dybala says. “I’ve been here for 12 or 13 years now, and honestly, I probably know Italy better than Argentina at this point.

“I remember that at the time, I wanted to wait a little, take a pause. I was in Turin, at home. One day, one of my agents came to me and said that Mourinho wanted to talk to me. Of course, Mourinho is special—he’s a coach who has won everything, someone unique. I couldn’t just ignore his call. But I knew he was going to convince me, which is why I wanted to wait.

“The first time we just had a good talk, it was a long conversation but he didn’t put pressure to get an immediate answer. But the next day he wanted to call me again, so I told him to give me a few hours to talk to my family and my wife. I spoke with them and my team, and once I made the decision to join Roma, I sent him a message saying, ‘see you soon.’ And with that we closed the deal.”

As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome, which welcomes everyone, but not in the same way. More than a simple welcome, Giallorossi fans’ reception for Dybala was a coronation as more than 20,000 people gathered to hail him in front of Colosseo Quadrato. It was clear that the new emperor of Rome wasn’t actually Roman like Totti or Daniele De Rossi, but Argentinian like the pope, capable of making Roma fans dream again.

“It was one of the few times in my life where my legs were actually shaking a little,” Dybala says. “We play football in front of 50,000 or 60,000 people, and that’s normal. But they come to watch a spectacle, to see the game. But at that moment, the crowd was there only for me. I didn't expect that kind of reception. The fans truly surprised me. It was something beautiful, a unique moment in my life and career. And in that moment, I knew that I would have to work twice as hard to give back all the love they had shown me on that day."

He would reciprocate Roma’s love for him on the pitch in style (42 goals and 22 assists, four Serie A Player of the Month awards) while leading Roma to the Europa League final in 2023. And then when his allegiance was tested last summer, he turned down an offer from Saudi Arabia worth more than $80 million to remain in a Giallorossi shirt.

“I won’t lie, these are figures that really make you think,” Dybala says. “But the truth is, I am very happy here in Rome and my family is very happy here too. My wife is a very important part of my life and her happiness is my happiness too, and if you ask my mother she was the one who least wanted me to leave.

“I’ve had a great career and the love I’m receiving from Roma, from the fans from the club, the owners and from the people in the streets, I don’t know if I’d get that anywhere else. When you put anything on the scale you have to go with what weighs the most, and that’s why we decided to stay in Rome.”

But before turning down the Saudi move, there was a critical penalty to be taken, one that could have altered the footballing history of a country and its heroes forever. The 2022 World Cup final appeared to be over by halftime with first-half goals from Messi and Ángel Di Maria. In the second half, however, Kylian Mbappé shocked Argentina with two goals in less than 10 minutes remaining in what has been labeled the greatest World Cup final of all time.

Dybala's penalty kick proved critical for Argentina in defeating France. / Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

In extra time the story repeats itself: Messi scores, Mbappé answers once again, leaving Messi on the halfway line smiling in disbelief. In the 121st minute, Scaloni sends Dybala on the field for 120 seconds of pure madness. First, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez pulls off the most important save in Argentina history and prevents Randal Kolo Muani from scoring what looked like a sure winner.

A minute later, Mbappé receives the last ball of the game on the left side outside the box. Everyone inside the Lusail Stadium is waiting for the final whistle, while Mbappé is looking to end the match. He gets past three defenders and when he is inside the box seeking his fourth goal of the night, Dybala flies in and clears the last ball of the game: “In that moment you don’t have time to think about it. When I watched it afterwards I didn’t even know what I was doing there.”

Then, a penalty kick shootout to decide the world champion. Dybala’s walk toward the penalty spot is just under a minute. He doesn’t kiss the ball like he usually does to mimic his idol, Argentina legend Riquelme. Instead, he is a model of focus in front of a wall of Argentina fans, frozen in silence, ready to burst into tears one way or another.

“I have always been a penalty taker. I knew that I came off the bench for this 100%,” Dybala says. “I was totally focused. When I saw [Kingsley] Coman miss, I remembered what Dibu [Emiliano Martínez] said to Enzo Fernández before the penalties against Netherlands: If I save a penalty for us, the following player needs to take the penalty down in the middle. The pressure is on the other goalkeeper and he is going to dive for sure. Nobody wants to look stupid standing in the middle in a World Cup.

“So I knew I had to go down in the middle. I didn’t have a single doubt. I took the ball and put it on the penalty spot. I knew what I had to do.”

Down the middle. Goal. Argentina are in front. Dybala walks back to his teammates with a smile: “Afterwards I spoke to Dibu and I told him I remembered his advice.”

Then, France’s Aurélien Tchouaméni misses and Leandro Paredes converts for Argentina. “When Leandro scored, we looked at each other because we knew we were world champions.”

One to go. Gonzalo Montiel sends the keeper the other way for the win. Argentinians are ecstatic, and a song becomes reality after a 36-year wait: “Quiero ganar la tercera, quiero ser campeón mundial,” sings the crowd. Dybala lies down on the grass and sobs: “It was beautiful. I just tried to enjoy it as much as I could, because you know, time flies.”

Both Messi (right) and Dybala (center left) converted their penalties in the 2022 World Cup final. / Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

He looks for Messi and embraces him: “I told Leo I was happy for him as much as I was for myself. When I was at the beginning of my career I used to watch every Barcelona game. Everyone wanted to be like him. He gave everything he had for Argentina.”

Later, Dybala kisses the trophy and stares at the sky in memory of his father, who died in 2008. More than 8,000 miles away from Laguna Larga, Dybala is on top of the world. For the first time since his last trip to Doha, his celebration doesn’t need a mask.

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