Paulo Dybala names ex-Manchester United star as best player he ever played with apart from Lionel Messi
Paulo Dybala has named former Manchester United player Paul Pogba as the best player he has ever played with, after Lionel Messi. The 31-year-old winger has played in the Argentina national team since 2015, and it is no surprise that he views Messi as the best player ever.
The legendary Argentine playmaker was instrumental in the country's return to the top of world football. They have now won four trophies in three years, clinching Copa America twice, winning the World Cup, and the Finalissima as well.
After Lionel Messi, though, Paulo Dybala sees Paul Pogba as the next best player he has shared the pitch with. The Roma forward admitted (via AlbicelesteTalk on X):
"The best player I have played with not counting Leo Messi? Paul Pogba."
The two players spent the 2015-16 season together at Juventus, playing 43 games and racking up over 2700 shared minutes. After that season, though, Pogba moved on to Manchester United, where he played for six years, before returning to Juventus.
However, by the time Pogba returned to Juventus in 2022, Dybala had left the Turin giants for Roma. The duo have not played together since 2016.
When Paulo Dybala revealed conversations with Ronaldo, admitted he was "always on Lionel Messi's side"
Back in 2023, Paulo Dybala revealed that he was always on Lionel Messi's side during debates about who the greatest player of all time was. Notably, the winger played with Messi in the Argentina national team, but also played with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.
The duo spent three years playing together in Turin, before the Portuguese legend returned to Manchester United. Speaking about Ronaldo and the Messi rivalry, Paulo Dybala told DAZN (via GOAL):
"It was three good years with Cristiano, the team was strong and he gave us something extra. The rivalry between him and [Lionel] Messi is deeply felt in Argentina and as a child, of course, I was always on Messi's side."
He also shared a tidbit about his conversations with Ronaldo, adding:
"One time we were on a plane to go play a game, I was at the back and he was sitting further forward. At one point he came to me to talk about football and other things.
"We used to discuss our lives in general and so I said to him, 'I basically hated you as a kid'. We had some laughs. We've always had a good relationship, a good dialogue."
Cristiano Ronaldo now plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he won the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023. Lionel Messi plays for Inter Miami in the USA, where he has won the Leagues Cup in 2023 and the Supporters' Shield in 2024.
