Why did Dybala refuse to wear No.10 at Roma?

The Argentine star joined Roma after ending his seven-year stint at Juventus.

Paulo Dybala has opened up on his decision to reject Roma’s offer to wear their No.10 jersey.

Following his departure from Juventus, the attacking midfielder joined Roma as a free agent earlier this week.

Dybala had a chance to become Roma’s new No.10. But he decided to stick with the No.21, which he also wore during his Juve days.

He said: “The director had suggested that I take 10, which is very important here for what Totti has done.

That shirt must still be his. I thanked them, because for such a shirt there must be respect and responsibility.

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“Maybe one day I’ll wear it, but today I’m happy with 21. It’s a number I’m tied to and with which I started to win.”

Dybala scored 115 goals and provided 48 assists in his 293 appearances for Juventus. He won five Serie A titles and four Coppa Italia trophies at the Allianz Stadium.

However, a lengthy contract standoff ended in his departure from the Bianconeri. Speaking about his decision to join Roma, Dybala revealed a decisive phone call from Jose Mourinho.

He added: “It was a lot of things. The call of the coach and the manager and the talk with the owners. They were very important things that gave me so many certainties. The coach was one of the main causes, he was clear with his ideas.

“We all know him for what he has done and for what he will do. We talked a lot, it was a good chat. I was lucky enough to play with the greatest players in history and now I can say that I also work with one of the best coaches.”