Paulo Dybala has admitted that Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t very popular in Argentina – and he knows it.
The pair have struck up a close relationship during their two seasons together at Juventus, with Dybala now having played with both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
“I said to him: Cristiano, in Argentina, we hate you a bit because of your figure, because of how you are, of how you walk,” Dybala said in an interview online with the Argentinian Football Association (AFE).
“The truth is that, you’ve surprised me because I’ve found you to be different.”
Dybala came under fire for criticising Argentina teammate Messi, stating it was difficult to play alongside him in the national team last summer.
“I’ve never intended to criticise a teammate, I simply wanted to improve something that was happening,” Dybala said.
“I spoke about it with Leo because we’re both very similar tactically.
“I didn’t have many minutes at the World Cup or the Copa America but, at the same time, I always respected the decisions of the coaches because Argentina is very prestigious.”
The Juventus forward also spoke about his experience in having coronavirus after testing positive for the virus in March.
“I was coughing a lot, I was tired and I felt cold when I was sleeping at night,” he said.
“It was a bit [difficult] to live with that and try not to despair, to be relaxed, try to stay calm and talk to the Juventus doctors.”