Lionel Messi is one of the most widely loved soccer players on the planet. The World Cup winner even gained more fans from across the globe when he completed football back in December lifting the World Cup with his beloved Argentina.
The Argentine gained another fan during the World Cup celebrations, a very strange one in fact. Paolo Dybala revealed that Jose Mourinho, Lionel Messi’s old adversary from their time in Spain, appreciates what the former Barcelona star has done in football, just like he appreciates every other Argentine player, including Angel Di Maria, who played under him at Real Madrid.
Paolo Dybala discloses Jose Mourinho’s honest views on Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi’s reputation has skyrocketed over the years, and nobody could have thought he’d have a big fan in Rome in his old adversary Jose Mourinho. Paolo Dybala recently revealed Jose Mourinho’s honest opinions on Lionel Messi while discussing his relationship with the legendary manager whom he now works with at Roma.
“When I arrived in the locker room, I grabbed my phone to talk to my family, and I had five missed calls from Mourinho. I called him first before my mother, and he was very happy with all of his life, congratulating me. He always spoke highly of Angel Di Maria and of Leo as well, he loves him,” Dybala told Gaston Edul.
Mourinho has developed a great relationship with Paolo Dybala in the past two seasons, and he played a huge role in convincing the former Juventus playmaker to move to Rome on a free transfer. Dybala was close to joining Inter Milan, but one phone call from Mourinho changed the trajectory and brought the Argentine to Rome, where he has developed into one of the most lethal playmakers in Serie A.
Jose Mourinho’s past remarks on Lionel Messi
Jose Mourinho and Messi always came head-to-head in Spain when they represented Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. Jose Mourinho was in charge of Real Madrid and didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Lionel Messi, who is arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport.
Mourinho always believed Ronaldo had superior abilities to Messi. “I keep saying it’s harder to be Cristiano than Lionel Messi. I’ll tell you: Messi grew up in the team he plays for now, with the teammates he plays with now. Cristiano came from England to a team that was losing,” Mourinho once said.
Mourinho had even once criticized Messi’s lack of defensive abilities and pointed out how that could affect his team’s balance. “One plays centre forward, and the other is a winger. Messi is about 50 metres close to the goal and has less defensive work. How can a winger score the same amount of goals as a centre-forward does? This (Ronaldo) is a winger that defends, a winger that ends the game in the 94th minute with a sprint to chase Pedro in a goalscoring position,” Mourinho said.
Mourinho was on the verge of being sacked at Roma earlier this season, but he has managed to turn things around, thanks to Romelu Lukaku’s run of form in front of the goal.
Can Dybala and Mourinho win any trophy for Roma this season?
