Paulo Dybala's Commitment to Roma and Mourinho's Influence

Paulo Dybala is on the verge of committing his future to Roma, and he is in no doubt about who made the Eternal City feel like home. In a candid conversation with YouTuber Davoo, relayed by Corriere dello Sport, the Argentine forward traced the path that brought him to the capital and the coach who shaped it.

“Mourinho is a genius and a great person,” Dybala said, the words carrying the weight of a dressing room that still feels his influence. “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 simple line, but it underlines everything. Roma did not just sign a star; they inherited a bond forged by José Mourinho’s presence, charisma and insistence. Dybala’s impending renewal is, in part, another echo of that era.

Admiration for El Ayanoui

The forward also turned his attention to one of the revelations of the season: his Roma teammate El Ayanoui, who has become a key figure for Morocco on the World Cup stage.

“He's having a great World Cup, I'm following him,” Dybala said. “And at Roma, besides saying he's a strong player, he's also a good guy.”

No embellishment, no grand speech. Just the kind of praise that matters most inside a squad: quality on the pitch, character off it. For a player of Dybala’s stature to highlight both says plenty about how El Ayanoui has imposed himself in Rome and beyond.

The scar of Budapest

The conversation inevitably drifted back to one of the most painful nights of Dybala’s Roma career: the Europa League final defeat to Sevilla. Time has not softened his view of Anthony Taylor’s performance.

“It's true, the handball was absurd, but that wasn't the only thing that happened during the match,” he recalled. “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 hide behind clichés. The sense of injustice still burns. The “absurd” handball incident, the perceived leniency towards Sevilla, the missing cards – for Dybala, it all forms part of a night that could have changed Roma’s recent history.

Yet that pain now sits alongside a different feeling: commitment. As he prepares to sign on again with Roma, Dybala carries both the gratitude towards Mourinho that brought him to the city and the unfinished business of a European final that slipped away. The story in Rome, for him, is clearly not done.