"We spent extraordinary years. It was at Juve that he grew up and became the player he is... He will be an opponent, but it's a pleasure to see him again", assured the Turin coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Last May, after his last appearance in the Juventus Stadium against Lazio (2-2), the Argentine player was inconsolable, shedding all the tears in his body in front of tifosi greeting the N.10 bianconero.

In seven years at Juve, the "Joya" (the "Jewel" in Spanish, his nickname) has accumulated goals (115 in 293 games) and titles (5 scudetti, 4 Italian Cups).

Until the end, he hoped to stay at the foot of the Alps.

But after long months of procrastination, Juve filed for divorce at the end of his contract in June.

She bet on rising star Dusan Vlahovic to revive a declining team after a season without a title, a first for 11 years.

"I thought we would have been together for more years, but fate put us on different paths," said the 28-year-old Argentinian.

Three months later, he will once again be the star of the day.

But this time within the opposing team, with the Wolf crest on the chest and the N.21 on the back, the one he also wore at Juve during his first seasons (2015-2017), having declined Roma's proposal to take over Francesco Totti's N.10.

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"A little time"

Long promised to Inter Milan after the break with Juve, Dybala has finally bounced back from the Champions League spotlight but to a coach who has restored ambition to the capital club, José Mourinho.

"The first thing I asked the coach is what are we going to try to win? I like to win, and he does too," smiled when he landed at the foot of the Coliseum Paulo Dybala , fan of the movie "Gladiator" -- he celebrates his goals by mimicking a gladiator mask.

In Rome, it was immediately adopted: the tifosi were several thousand to attend its "Hollywood" presentation at the end of July in the Eur district.

His first outings at the Stadio Olimpico, in a friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk (5-0) then in the league against Cremonese (1-0), also allowed him to taste the fervor of supporters hoping to see Roma play the leading roles again. (6th last season).

And this counting on a revived Dybala, after two seasons disturbed by injuries.

"He is not yet at the top. At the end of each action, he has his hands on his hips, he still needs a little time but he has great qualities", estimated Thursday in the daily Il Messaggero Zbigniew Boniek , former Juventus striker but Roman at heart (he has lived there for 37 years).

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Mourinho assures him to be "happy" with his rookie: "I did not expect more in this period", assured the Portuguese coach, who predicts "a normal match" from him on Saturday, with "perhaps a few more emotions before or after".

And a first goal in giallorosso?

The Juventus Stadium seems the ideal place: the Argentinian is the one who has most often shaken the nets of the stadium inaugurated in 2011, with 68 goals, in all competitions, according to the Italian League.

But if he scores one day against Juve, he has already warned, he will "obviously not" celebrate this goal with the taste of revenge.

© 2022 AFP