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Thursday December 26, 2024

What did Ronaldo say when former teammate told him he's hated in Argentina?

"He is an excellent guy, very sociable and friendly inside and outside the locker room," says Paulo Dybala about Ronaldo

By Fawad Khan
June 06, 2023
Argentine forward Paulo Dybala (right) celebrates with Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo after opening the scoring during the Italian Serie A football match Sampdoria vs Juventus on December 18, 2019 at the Luigi-Ferraris stadium in Genoa. — AFP
Argentine forward Paulo Dybala (right) celebrates with Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo after opening the scoring during the Italian Serie A football match Sampdoria vs Juventus on December 18, 2019 at the Luigi-Ferraris stadium in Genoa. — AFP

Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr's forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who is loved and supported by millions of people worldwide, also faces a lot of hatred from the supporters of his rival footballers. 

The 38-year-old football star is usually compared with many other football greats like Argentina's forward and World Cup winner Lionel Messi. 

The Portuguese superstar, who is a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, is currently a part of Al-Nassr from January for two and a half years.

Former teammate Paulo Dybala shared a story from when he was playing with Ronaldo for Juventus. Dybala told Ronaldo that he was "hated" in Argentina, however, the Al-Nassr's forward laughed it off.

"On a personal level, I was surprised for good because I did not know him, none of us knew anything about him. Even in the previous Champions League we were knocked out against Real Madrid and we had crossed paths," said Dybala while recalling the event.

Explaining how his perception changed about Ronaldo when left Madrid for Turin in 2018, the Argentinian player said: "But then we found something else, he is an excellent guy, very sociable and friendly inside and outside the locker room. Always ready to talk, to listen, which surprised me, being an important figure, they are not always like that.

"Once I sat down to talk to him, we were travelling. I said 'look, if I'm honest, we in Argentina hate you a bit, because of your personality, your way of being, then you really surprised me because I found something else'. He laughed because he said 'I know that's the way it is, but I know how I am, I'm used to being criticised for that'."

Ronaldo and Dybala played together for the Turin-based football club for three years between 2018-21. They won two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles together.

Dybala currently plays for Serie A side AS Roma while Ronaldo has joined hands with the Riyadh-based club.