Dybala: Don’t compare me to Messi
PAULO DYBALA has repeatedly said he does not want to be likened to his more famous compatriot, Lionel Messi, but the comparisons will keep coming as the Argentina youngster goes from strength to strength.
Dybala marked his 100th Juventus appearance with his second hat-trick of the season to help the Bianconeri win 3-1 at Sassuolo yesterday and stay perfect in Serie A.
Napoli, which crushed Serie A debutant Benevento 6-0, has also won its opening four fixtures as has Inter Milan, which beat Crotone 2-0 on Saturday.
“Stop comparing me to Messi, I’m Paulo Dybala,” he said. “Every player is himself. I’m Dybala. It’s not that I don’t like the comparisons with Messi, but Messi is a player who has won five Ballons d’Or.
“The comparisons don’t seem absurd to me, but I want to be myself. I don’t want to be compared to any other player. I want to have my career, win my trophies, score my goals and play my way.”
Dybala now has eight goals, in Juve’s opening four league matches, just three fewer than he scored in the whole of last campaign. All three of his goals on the day were impressive. Dybala netted his 50th goal for Juventus in the 16th minute with a first-time shot into the top right corner from 25 yards after Mario Mandzukic rolled the ball across from the left.
The 23-year-old forward became the first player to score in each of the opening four Serie A games for Juve and the first to do so in Europe’s top five leagues since Wayne Rooney for Manchester United in 2011.
For his second, shortly after halftime, Dybala gathered the ball from Juan Cuadrado, jinked to the left of a defender, and slotted into the bottom right corner.
Matteo Politano got Sassuolo back into the game minutes later, but Dybala completed his hat-trick shortly after the hour, curling in a magnificent free kick.