Paulo Dybala

Instituto de Córdoba

Nicknamed "La Joya" or "El pibe de la pensión", Dybala made his professional debut in the Primera B Nacional (Argentine second division) with his hometown club Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba at age 17. In total, he played 40 matches with the club, scoring 17 goals. He was the youngest to score a goal, beating the record of Mario Kempes. Dybala was also the first to play 38 consecutive matches in a professional league in the country (again edging Kempes), and was also the first to score two hat-tricks in a season. Dybala also scored in six consecutive games, surpassing the previous record of four matches.

Palermo

On 29 April 2012, US Città di Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini announced the signing of Dybala stating, "We have got Paulo Dybala – the new Sergio Agüero." Later the same day, however, Instituto's general secretary José Teaux stated that the man who had completed the negotiations with Palermo did not have the mandate to sell Dybala. Nonetheless, on 20 July 2012 Palermo released a press announcement confirming the signing of Dybala, who signed a four-year deal with the Sicilian club. According to the financial filing of the club, the transfer fee was €8.64 million. Dybala made his debut for the club in a Serie A match against Lazio. He scored his first and second goal in Italy on 11 November 2012 when Palermo defeated Sampdoria at home, 2–0. Dybala had his breakthrough season in the 2014–15 Serie A where he scored ten…

Due to his family heritage, Dybala was eligible to play for Poland and Italy, but expressly stated that he feels Argentine and had always dreamed of playing for Argentina. Dybala stated "I feel 100 percent Argentinian, I wouldn't be happy in a national team that didn't feel like mine, to hear an anthem that isn't my own, in colours that don't belong to me".

2015–2022: Early years

On 22 September 2015, Dybala was called for the first time for the Argentina senior team by manager Gerardo Martino, but his first appearance was on 13 October 2015, coming off the bench to replace Carlos Tevez in the 75th minute during a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Paraguay in Asunción, which ended in a 0–0 draw. In May 2016, he was omitted from Argentina's 23-man squad for the Copa América Centenario. Although Juventus insisted that they would not release Dybala for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he was included in Martino's 35-man preliminary under-23 squad for the tournament on 24 May, but left out of the final tournament squad. On 1 September 2016, Dybala was sent off in the first half of a 1–0 home victory against Uruguay in a 2018 World Cup qualification for a second bookable offence. On 13 June 2017, he set up a goal for Joaquín Correa in a 6–0 away friendly victory against Singapore.

In May 2018, Dybala was named in Argentina's preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia; later that month, he was included in Jorge Sampaoli's final…

An elegant player, Dybala is known for his powerful and accurate strikes, his creativity, and his dribbling, as he can beat opponents in one-on-one situations or beat multiple opponents. Due to his elite dribbling, he excels at counter-attacks and at beating the offside trap when making attacking runs. He is also renowned for his stamina and defensive work-rate. He is also capable of creating chances for his teammates due to his vision and his accurate passing. Despite his diminutive stature, Dybala is also effective at scoring headers due to his ability to anticipate defenders’ movements.

A versatile forward, Dybala can play in any attacking position. He started out as a left winger for Instituto in Argentina but since moving to Italy, he has played as a right winger or as an attacking midfielder. Because of his involvement in his team's attacking plays and his goalscoring ability, his former manager at Juventus Massimiliano Allegri used Dybala as a central midfielder on some occasions (known as a "mezzala", in Italian), and described him as a "box-to-box player" ("tuttocampista", in Italian) in 2018. Dybala is also adept at scoring free-kicks and penalties. His playing style has drawn comparisons with compatriots Sergio Agüero, Javier Pastore, Carlos Tevez, Omar Sívori, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi, as well as former Italian forwards Vincenzo Montella, Alessandro Del Piero, and Roberto Baggio; the latter of whom described Dybala as the number 10 of the future in 2017.…

Dybala was born in Laguna Larga, Córdoba, Argentina. His grandfather, Bolesław Dybała, was from the village of Kraśniów in Poland; he fled from his country of birth to Argentina during World War II. Some of his grandfather's family moved to Canada. Dybala's family also has Italian origins through his maternal great-grandmother, who was from the province of Naples.