Argentina's replacement for Messi talks breaking Juventus' Champions League drought, his relationship with Ronaldo, and more

MILAN – It’s difficult to know how Paulo Dybala feels when he takes the 90-minute Autostrada trip from Turin to Milan.

On the one hand, the 24-year-old Argentine, who figures to be the next great striker for Argentina after Lionel Messi, has managed a combined seven goals and two assists against Internazionale and Milan since he was brought to Serie A, with great fanfare, in 2012. (“We have signed the new Sergio Aguero!” proclaimed Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini when they persuaded him to part with childhood club Instituto.)

On the other hand, the precocious forward, known in his homeland as “La Joya” (“The Jewel”), has never scored at the San Siro while playing for Juventus. The only time he has found the net in 12 visits to the temple of Milanese soccer came just over four years ago, when he helped Palermo to a 2-0 victory over Milan. That day, he played up front as a No. 9 — since he has emerged and flourished with the Serie A champions, it is more accepted that his his sublime touch and dribbling skills are better suited to the creative No. 10 role.

“For me, it is a dream to wear the No. 10 like Platini, Del Piero and Baggio,” says Dybala. ”It’s a big responsibility to wear that number at Juventus, and it was the club’s decision, but I’m very happy with it.”

“But the most important thing isn’t the number on the shirt, it’s what’s in here [he points to his heart].”

FC Yahoo meets Dybala in Milan a few days before he shows that trademark heart during a 2-0 victory over Milan. He is in Italy’s fashion capital to launch his brand new adidas cleats, less than 24 hours after Juve’s shock home defeat at the hands of Manchester United.

The Champions League clash with United was notable not only for Jose Mourinho’s ear-cupping antics (which Dybala personally lambasted the Portuguese for), but for the Argentine’s meeting with his former teammate Paul Pogba. “It was great to see to see Paul again because we’re good friends,” said Dybala. “We have remained in touch since he left ,” he added.

“We’re still very close and who knows, maybe in the future we can play together again on the same team.”

The three-time Serie A champion insists he is happy at Juventus and has not lent any of his focus to transfer speculation, but he certainly does not rule out a move away from the Old Lady.

When FC Yahoo asks if he would one day consider a move to the Premier League, he lets out a quiet giggle, takes a pause of a few seconds and smirks as he utters his only word in English of our interview:

“Maybe.”

“I like to watch matches from other leagues, including the Premier League,” he expands in his native Spanish tongue. “I appreciate the differences in style: There is much more space in the Premier League and the action is box-to-box. Here in Italy, things are a little more tactical.”

It’s no surprise that the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool have been linked with big-money moves for the jewel in the Bianconeri’s crown. The Guardian’s match report from the Champions League clash with United waxed lyrical about his “strangely hypnotic, sensual relationship with the ball,” while his finishing, set pieces and hold-up play are befitting of any trophy-hunting, elite-level side.

Dybala’s range of creative attacking skills also draw inevitable comparisons to his new teammate, who just so happens to be one of the greatest players ever to kick a ball. When pressed on his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo, he emits a positive tone — and none of the competitiveness that one may expect when two of the brightest stars occupy the same part of the galaxy. “We are really happy working together,” he says enthusiastically. “We are going to score a lot of goals together.”

The relationship certainly does appear to be successful. Dybala notes that he was the first Juventus player with whom Ronaldo took a selfie — a badge of honor for a man of his generation — and although they typically play on opposite flanks of Max Allegri’s 4-3-3 formation, they combined for their first goal-assist combo in the recent victory over Empoli, when both players led a 4-4-2. “We will have a great chance to win the Champions League this year, as Ronaldo provides us with another option,” he says. “In four years, we have played in two finals and we could definitely reach that stage again.”

With the addition of Ronaldo to their ranks, and the relatively disappointing campaigns of the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, it is not outrageous to suggest that Juve could get their hands on the European Cup for the first time in 22 years. In fact, most bookmakers place the Serie A giants as second favorites only to a Manchester City side with comparatively little pedigree in the competition.

During his appearance in Milan, Dybala is affable and jovial when answering the questions of journalists and social media influencers from all four corners of the globe, showing none of the ego he may be entitled to when the subject of a more celebrated teammate is continually brought up. A prima donna, he is not.

Before he leaves to prepare for his outing at the San Siro, FC Yahoo learns that his famous “mask” celebration is intended to emulate a gladiator, that he prefers pizza over pasta, that he believes his 89 rating in the FIFA video game series is fair, and that he has no idea why journalists in his hometown dubbed him “La Joya”. Perhaps he is too modest to account for the fact that he was a diamond in the rough during his formative years in Cordoba, around 400 miles northwest of the soccer hotspot of Buenos Aires.

But Dybala’s humility should day no means be interpreted as a lack of drive or ambition. Before he departs the glitzy apparel launch, Dybala is asked whether he would prefer to win the World Cup or the Champions League. He pauses and smiles as he realizes this is not a binary choice.

“I’d like to win the Champions League this year and the World Cup in three years’ time,” he said.

Most soccer players would undoubtedly say the same thing. But for Dybala, this lofty brace of ambitions is well within reach.

Paulo Dybala wears the Adidas COPA 19+, a reinvented version of the iconic Copa Mundial boot.

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