This isn't a shot that I was originally going to include, but it's the only chance we have to see Dybala's face clearly (or as clearly as distance, zoom and ISO allows), so I need to squeeze it in. That's him standing on the centreline, on the far side of the circle.

Born in Laguna Larga, Córdoba Province, Argentina (just a bit to the north of the centre of Argentina), he was 30 at the time of this game. His father Adolfo, who was football mad, predicted that he would have a son who is a great footballer. His youngest son Paulo proved the prophecy to be true. Sadly Adolfo died when Paulo was only 15, meaning that the younger Dybala needed to grow up faster than normal, and the older one never got to see his son's full potential.

His junior years (2003-2011) and first senior year (2011/12) were spent with Instituto, a team based in his then-local city of Córdoba. It was during this period that an Argentine sports journalist dubbed him La Joya" ("The Jewel") because so many Italian teams wanted him, he was rare and therefor valuable. Though truth be told, because of his then age and inexperience he was probably more of a diamond in the rough at that time.

And so it was that in 2012 he was snapped up by Palermo, a Sicilian team that was in Serie A at the time but only just. (They were 16th in that season.) Still, the transfer fee was a not insignificant €8.64 million.

He finished the 2014/15 season with 13 goals and 10 assists... then Juventus, the richest club in Serie A (not that that's saying much unfortunately) came knocking. On 4 June he was transferred on a 5 year deal worth €32 million (plus €8 million in add-ons). In his first season or two he was on fire; in 2018, for example; he made 33 appearances with 22 goals. He was still a useful player beyond that time as well, although injuries and the club management's vision going in a different direction started to take an increasing toll. Although Dybala was by then vice-captain, on 21 March 2022 Juventus chief executive officer Maurizio Arrivabene announced that Dybala's contract would not be renewed.

Hey, that name sounds familiar! Yes, from 2014 to 2019 Arrivabene was team principal of Ferrari Formula 1. The kindest thing that could be said of him in that role is that he wasn't as bad as Fat Freddie, the incumbent and his successor once removed. But Homer Simpson wouldn't be any worse either, IMHO. So... you can take Arrivabene's decision to dump Dybala in the context of the other examples of his managerial brilliance. Like the ones that had him banned from holding office at any Italian football club for 2 years due to a financial scandal.

But hey, his decision worked well for us! On 20 July 2022 Dybala, cut loose from Juventus, signed on with us for 3 years. And I can sincerely say it has been a fun ride, and better still, as I'm writing this a couple of weeks after the match talks are swirling that his stay in the capital will be extended. In Serie A in 2024 he played 28 matches for 13 goals.

Dybala has both Polish and Italian ancestry (enough to play for either country; indeed he took out dual Italian citizenship when he moved to Palermo) but internationally his first love is Argentina. He was an integral part of Argentina winning the 2022 World Cup.