Paulo Exequiel Dybala made his professional debut on 12 August 2011 for Instituto de Córdoba, in a 2-0 win over Huracán in Argentina’s Primera B Nacional. He started the match and was substituted in the 72nd minute. Born on 15 November 1993 in Laguna Larga, in the province of Córdoba, he is a left-footed forward who operates between the number ten role and the right flank. He played for Palermo and Juventus before joining Roma in July 2022, and he won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with Argentina.
Early years at Instituto
Dybala grew up in Laguna Larga and came through the youth ranks at Instituto, one of the traditional clubs of the city of Córdoba. As a boy he was nicknamed “Curita” because his shirt looked far too big for him. His spell with the first team was short. In the 2011-12 Primera B Nacional season, which he began aged seventeen, he played 40 matches and scored 17 goals. That output in the Argentine second tier drew interest from European clubs, and in the summer of 2012 Instituto agreed his sale to Italy.
Palermo paid 12 million euros to sign him. He made his Serie A debut on 2 September 2012 against Lazio, coming on in the 58th minute of a 3-0 defeat. His first season in Italy ended with the Sicilian club relegated to Serie B. Dybala stayed and was part of the side that sealed promotion on 3 May 2014 with a 1-0 win over Novara, finishing the campaign as 2013-14 Serie B champions. Back in the top flight, the 2014-15 season established him as Palermo’s main attacking reference and brought him to the attention of Italy’s biggest clubs.
Seven seasons at Juventus
Juventus presented him on 14 July 2015 after paying 32 million euros, a fee that could rise to 40 million with add-ons. That summer he won the 2015 Italian Super Cup, and in Turin he collected five consecutive league titles, from 2015-16 to 2019-20. He added the Coppa Italia in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021, plus the 2018 Super Cup. His finest individual season was 2019-20, with 11 goals and 11 assists in the league and the Serie A Most Valuable Player award, announced on 4 August 2020 ahead of his team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. In March 2022 the club decided not to offer him a new deal; he announced his departure on 15 May and played his last game for Juventus the following day. He left with 293 appearances, 115 goals and 53 assists.
The Roma years
He joined Roma as a free agent, and the club announced the signing on 20 July 2022, with José Mourinho as head coach. His first goal for the Giallorossi came on 30 August 2022 against Monza. In that first season Roma reached the 2022-23 Europa League final, played on 31 May 2023 in Budapest against Sevilla. Dybala opened the scoring, the match finished 1-1 after extra time and the trophy was decided on penalties, which Sevilla won 4-1.
Argentina national team
He made his Argentina debut on 13 October 2015 in a goalless World Cup qualifier against Paraguay, coming on in the second half. His first start followed on 1 September 2016 against Uruguay. He was named in the squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he played one match and Argentina went out in the round of 16. At the 2019 Copa América he scored in the 2-1 win over Chile that gave Argentina third place. On 1 June 2022 he completed a 3-0 win over Italy at Wembley with a goal in the Finalissima. Later that year he was called up for the World Cup in Qatar: he played the closing minutes of the semi-final and of the final against France, and in the final’s shootout he converted Argentina’s second penalty. Argentina were crowned world champions on 18 December 2022.
Playing style
A left-footer, Dybala tends to start from the right and cut inside onto his stronger foot, or to play as a second striker behind a centre-forward. His game mixes long-range shooting, direct free kicks and passes between the lines; in 2019-20 he matched his goals with the same number of assists in Serie A. After scoring he often celebrates by holding a hand over his face like a mask, a gesture that became tied to his name in Turin.
Honours
With Palermo he won the 2013-14 Serie B title. With Juventus he won five Serie A titles (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20), four Coppa Italia trophies (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021) and two Italian Super Cups (2015 and 2018). With Roma he was a Europa League runner-up in 2023. Individually, he was named Serie A Most Valuable Player for 2019-20. With Argentina he finished third at the 2019 Copa América and won the Finalissima and the World Cup in 2022.
Roma