AS Roma and the Argentine national team will probably have to do without Paulo Dybala for months. As the club announced on Thursday, the attacking artist needs surgery for a muscle injury.
For Paulo Dybala, this Serie A season could be over. After the 2022 Argentine World Cup winner was substituted in the 64th minute with pain during AS Roma’s 1-0 win over Cagliari Calcio on Sunday, the club from the “Eternal City” released an official statement this Thursday.
According to the statement, Dybala sustained a serious muscle injury in his left thigh (semitendinosus tendon) twelve minutes after coming on as a substitute.
As the team of coach Claudio Ranieri further announced, Dybala will undergo surgery in this area in the coming days. The 31-year-old is therefore expected to miss the hot end of the season for his team, which is fighting for an international ticket (including Juventus, Lazio and Inter in April), and important World Cup qualifiers with the Argentine national team, such as the game against Brazil next Wednesday.
Key player and figurehead
Nicknamed “La Joya”, the dribbling wizard is one of the key players in Mats Hummels’ team and scored a double against FC Porto to help Roma reach the Europa League knockout stage.
On top of that, he and the Giallorossi made a positive impression in the league after a weak start in the Serie A. With 24 appearances in the current Serie A season, he is the offensive player with the most league appearances after top scorer Artem Dovbyk, and with eight goals and four assists, he is the club’s second-best scorer. The Argentine compatriot was signed from Juventus before the season, is a left-footer like Dybala and feels most comfortable on the right side of the offense with his skills.
Dybala himself joined Roma from Juventus in 2022. Since then, he has been a regular starter when fit and only last year turned down a move to Saudi Arabia.
