PAULO DYBALA told Cristiano Ronaldo he is hated in Argentina but admitted the Portugal hero is “different”.
The pair have formed a close bond since linking up for Juventus following Ronaldo’s arrival from Real Madrid in 2018.
Paulo Dybala was not afraid to tell Cristiano Ronaldo the Portugal star is hated in ArgentinaCredit: Alamy Live News
They even appeared to ‘kiss’ in January as the duo celebrated a goal created by Dybala and finished by the ex-Manchester United man.
But it seems Dybala did not shy away from telling the five-time Ballon d’Or winner a few home truths… from his homeland.
He did admit, however, having got to know him personally, Ronaldo was a lot nicer and modest than the public’s perception.
The former Palermo forward, 26, revealed to the Argentinian Football Association: “I said to him, ‘Cristiano, in Argentina, we hate you a bit because of your figure, because of how you are, of how you walk.’
“The truth is that, you’ve surprised me because I’ve found you to be different.”
Ronaldo’s fans have been in a career-long battle with admirers of Lionel Messi over who is the greater footballer.
But unsurprisingly, Ronaldo does not get too much support in Messi’s country.
Dybala has enjoyed the privilege of playing alongside both legends of the game during his career.
But he came under fire for comments he made about his fellow Argentina star last summer.
Dybala admitted it can be difficult to play alongside the Barcelona great when they are on international duty together.
But he reiterated: “I’ve never intended to criticise a team-mate, I simply wanted to improve something that was happening.
“I spoke about it with Leo because we’re both very similar tactically.
“I didn’t have many minutes at the World Cup or the Copa America but, at the same time, I always respected the decisions of the coaches because Argentina is very prestigious.”
Dybala is one of the Juventus players to test positive for coronavirus after the breakout in northern Italy.
His team-mates Blaise Matuidi and Daniele Rugani also contracted the killer virus earlier in March.
And after admitting he felt “dead tired” after just five minutes of training, Dybala and his girlfriend Oriana Sabatini confirm they are now feeling “fine” with the symptoms all passed.
In his latest interview, the striker added: “I was coughing a lot, I was tired and I felt cold when I was sleeping at night.
“It was a bit [difficult] to live with that and try not to despair, to be relaxed, try to stay calm and talk to the Juventus doctors.”
Dybala admitted he sometimes finds it difficult to play alongside his country’s hero Lionel Messi on international dutyCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
