Paulo Dybala Reflects on Roma and Mourinho's Impact

Paulo Dybala has never hidden how much Rome has got under his skin. Now, on the verge of signing a new contract with Roma, he has laid out exactly why – and one name sits at the heart of it all: José Mourinho.

In a wide-ranging conversation with YouTuber Davoo, relayed by Corriere dello Sport, the Argentine playmaker spoke with striking clarity about the coach who dragged him to the capital and the scars that still linger from the Europa League final in Budapest.

“Mourinho is a genius”

Dybala did not dance around his feelings for the former Roma boss.

“Mourinho is a genius and a great person. 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 the weight Mourinho still carries in Trigoria. Dybala frames his entire Roman adventure as a direct consequence of the Portuguese coach’s presence. Respect, protection, affection – those are the pillars he picks out, not tactics or systems.

The bond between coach, player, and city remains central to his story. Mourinho may have moved on, but Dybala’s renewal is, in many ways, an extension of that original choice.

Keeping an eye on El Ayanoui

From the past to the present. Dybala also turned his attention to a teammate whose reputation is growing fast: El Ayanoui, a standout for Morocco at the World Cup and now an important figure at Roma.

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

It is a short verdict, but telling. Quality on the pitch, character off it – Dybala highlights both. In a dressing room often under intense scrutiny, those few words sketch the profile of a player Roma increasingly trust on the biggest stages.

The wound of Budapest

The conversation inevitably drifted to one of the most painful nights of Dybala’s career: the Europa League final defeat to Sevilla, a match still overshadowed by the performance of referee Anthony Taylor.

Dybala did not reduce everything to a single decision, but he did not gloss over it either.

“It's true, the handball was absurd, but that wasn't the only thing that happened during the match. 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.”

The words carry a mix of frustration and lucidity. He points to a pattern, not just one flashpoint: leniency, odd calls, an overall direction to the officiating that Roma felt stacked against them. The handball incident remains the symbol, the moment that, in his eyes, could have changed everything.

For a player who thrives on big occasions, that night still burns. The sense of an opportunity taken away, not just lost, lingers in every sentence.

Dybala now prepares to commit his future again to Roma, with Mourinho gone, new leaders emerging, and the memory of Budapest still sharp. The question is no longer why he came to the capital. It is what he and Roma can still write together after a final that, in his mind, should have ended very differently.