Meet the Next Big Player- Paulo Dybala
No player really warrants comparison with the greatest of all time but the Juventus
ace has the quality and work ethic to spearhead the post-Messi era.
Shortly after joining Juventus in the summer of 2015, Paulo Dybala returned to
Palermo because he missed his friends from Sicily.
Dybala opened the scoring with a sweeping finish from 25 yards out that made it
50 goals in just 100 appearances in all competitions for Juventus.
However, when Dybala stepped up to take a free-kick just after the hour mark,
after Sassuolo had halved their deficit, nobody had any doubt about the outcome,
with the 23-year- old curling the ball over the wall and into the net.
This, after all, is a player who has wagered with team-mate and dead-ball specialist
Miralem Pjanic that he will score more set-piece goals than the Bosnian this
season.
Just days after being overshadowed by Lionel Messi during his compatriot's Camp
Nou masterclass in Barcelona's 3-0 Champions League win over Juventus, Dybala
was again being compared with his fellow No.10.
It has ever been thus for Dybala, who has always done his utmost to distance
himself from such talk: "Messi has his story; I have mine. We're two different
players."
"Messi was already doing certain things at 18 at Barcelona that made one realise
that he would become a phenomenon," the former Juve boss told Gazzetta dello
Sport.
Antonio Cassano goes even further: "For me, Messi is the greatest footballer in
history and you cannot compare him to anybody, although maybe a little to
Cristiano Ronaldo. Dybala is a great player but he's not comparable to Messi."
"Cristiano Ronaldo has scored hundreds of goals, which is because he’s right-
footed but also strong with his left. With one foot you’re easier to mark and it’s
easier for opponents to read you.
"In Italy, the defenders don’t mess
