After Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph, Paulo Dybala said that he got “five missed calls” from Roma boss Jose Mourinho.
Dybala was astonished to learn that his club boss had contacted him many times to congratulate him on Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph against France. The Roma striker, who contacted Mourinho back before speaking to his mother, stated that the Portuguese coach has a soft spot for Argentines and publicly appreciates other Argentines such as Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria.
“When the final against France ended, I was in the traditional doping room, then I got to the locker room, I grabbed the phone to talk to my family and I had five missed calls from Mou. I think I called him first then my mother,” Dybala said in an interview with TyC Sports journalist Gaston Edul.
“He was very happy because he loves Argentines. He always tells me wonderful things about Di Maria and Messi too, he loves them very much. All the Argentinians have given him something more in their teams and he speaks very highly of everyone. He has great affection for all Argentines.”
Dybala also opened up on how he played a crucial role in convincing Mourinho to bring Leandro Paredes to Roma after his Argentine team-mate was offloaded by Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
“I tried to convince him (Paredes) to come to Roma. When I spoke to him early in the summer he still didn’t know whether to return to Paris or play for another team,” Dybala said. “I spoke to Mourinho a couple of times because I knew he wanted to return to Rome. One day, out of nowhere, Mou come to me and asks: ‘Is Leandro willing to join us? I called him and told him to come. I missed speaking Spanish in the locker room, our families know each other. He really likes the city, like me. This is a city where people experience football like in Argentina.”
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WHAT NEXT? Dybala will hope to shine for Roma when they take on Slavia Prague on Thursday evening in a Europa League encounter.
