Paulo Dybala on Mourinho, El Ayanoui, and Budapest Pain
Paulo Dybala is on the verge of tying his future more firmly to Roma, and as he edges towards a contract renewal, he has been looking both backward and inward. In a wide-ranging conversation with YouTuber Davoo, relayed by Corriere dello Sport, the Argentine opened up on the man who brought him to the capital, the teammate shining on the world stage, and the European night that still burns.
Mourinho is a genius
Dybala did not hesitate when the subject turned to José Mourinho, the coach whose call changed the course of his career.
“Mourinho is a genius and a great person. He always spoke to us with respect, he took care of us, he loved us, and in Rome the people fell in love with him for what he gave. Thanks to him, I arrived in the capital.”
It is a rare, unfiltered tribute. Not just to the coach, but to the bond that grew between Mourinho, the dressing room and a fanbase that clung to his defiant edge. Dybala’s move to Roma was one of the most symbolic transfers in recent Serie A seasons, and he makes clear that without Mourinho, it would not have happened.
El Ayanoui under the spotlight
From the man who brought him to Rome to the teammate now commanding attention beyond it. Asked about El Ayanoui, his Roma colleague and a standout for Morocco at the World Cup, Dybala’s answer carried the tone of a senior player quietly proud of what he is seeing.
"He's having a great World Cup, I'm following him. And at Roma, besides saying he's a strong player, he's also a good guy."
No embellishment, just a clean endorsement. Strong on the pitch, solid in the dressing room. For a squad trying to grow into a genuine force, those words matter.
The scar of Budapest
Then came the subject that still stings. The Europa League final against Sevilla, a night in Budapest that slipped away amid frustration and fury. Dybala did not hide behind clichés.
"It's true, the handball was absurd, but that wasn't the only thing that happened during the match. There were several moments when the referee called strange things: he didn't issue any cards, he was very lenient with some Sevilla players. And then that handball would have rewritten the final result if he had awarded the penalty. It really hurt me to lose that final."
No attempt to soften it. The “absurd” handball, the feeling of decisions tilting the wrong way, the sense that a major European trophy was there, within reach, before slipping through their fingers. For a player of Dybala’s pedigree, those nights define legacies. Or deny them.
The pain of that defeat still lingers in his words. Yet as he prepares to renew with Roma, it also hints at unfinished business – and at a club, and a city, that he clearly has no intention of walking away from before that story is rewritten.
