“'I basically hated you as a kid'” - When Paulo Dybala opened up on telling Cristiano Ronaldo about Lionel Messi admiration
Paulo Dybala claimed he once told Cristiano Ronaldo that he was hated in Argentina because of Lionel Messi. The Argentine admitted that he also did not like the Portuguese star while growing up.
The duo played together at Juventus between 2018 and 2021, winning two Serie A titles among other honors. Dybala stated he got close to Ronaldo after the Real Madrid legend moved to the Italian giants.
However, he didn't like Ronaldo until then as he was on his compatriot Messi's side and claimed he told the Al-Nassr superstar the same during their time together at Juventus.
"It was three good years with Cristiano, the team was strong and he gave us something extra. The rivalry between him and [Lionel] Messi is deeply felt in Argentina and as a child, of course, I was always on Messi's side," Dybala told DAZN.
"One time we were on a plane to go play a game, I was at the back and he was sitting further forward. At one point he came to me to talk about football and other things. We used to discuss our lives in general and so I said to him 'I basically hated you as a kid'. We had some laughs. We've always had a good relationship, a good dialogue," he added.
Paulo Dybala played 93 matches with Cristiano Ronaldo, but the duo combined for just 12 goals. Meanwhile, he has played 18 matches with Messi, managing just one joint goal contribution.
When agent claimed Paulo Dybala had no off-field issues with Cristiano Ronaldo
Paulo Dybala's brother and agent Gustavo spoke to Radio Impact Cordoba in 2019 and stated there were no off-field issues between the Argentine and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, things were not good when they played together as the two weren't in sync and failed to understand each other.
"There's no problems with [Ronaldo] off the field, the problems are on it. You cannot beat [Ronaldo] and Paulo is young. There are many possibilities that Paulo leaves Juve, he needs a change. He's not happy and he's not the only one who'll leave. Many players are unhappy at Juventus, not just Paulo," he said.
Paulo Dybala moved to AS Roma after leaving Juventus in 2022, one year after Cristiano Ronaldo left the Old Lady for Manchester United.