Roma striker Paulo Dybala recently shared his emotional journey through two pivotal moments in his career: winning the World Cup with Argentina and losing the Europa League final with Roma. In a candid interview on the podcast “Donde Vamos Cuando Sonamos,” hosted by his fiancée Oriana Sabatini, Dybala reflected on these contrasting experiences.
While celebrating the World Cup victory, Dybala emphasized his hunger for more success: “For a footballer, winning the World Cup is the ultimate achievement, but my goal is to win other trophies, continue scoring, and playing. The World Cup is the pinnacle, but I want to win other trophies as well.”
However, the joy of the World Cup triumph was soon followed by the heartbreak of losing the Europa League final with Roma. Dybala described the profound impact of this defeat: “After the World Cup with Argentina, I had another very important final to play with Roma. We lost it, and it destroyed me emotionally. I was completely shattered. I couldn’t take it anymore; I just wanted to go home and never come out again. The defeat hit me very hard.”
The Argentine striker explained the significance of the Europa League final for Roma: “For us, at that moment, it would have been something historic, like winning the World Cup. For the people of Rome, it would have been something unique in their entire history.”
Dybala’s deep connection with Roma, despite only being at the club for a year, intensified the pain of the loss: “I had been in Rome for a year, and everyone asked me: how did you feel this defeat so deeply? I don’t know… The time spent with the team, living in the city, getting to know the people, the locker room… Losing that final killed me.”
In conclusion, Dybala acknowledged the incomparable nature of the two finals but emphasized the devastating impact of the Europa League loss: “There’s no comparison between the World Cup final and the Europa League final, but losing to Sevilla destroyed me.”
