And I thought Cristiano Ronaldo-mania had created a reaction that wouldn’t be bettered!
Well, perhaps the reaction to his Manchester United and Real Madrid unveilings will not be matched but, as far as Serie A is concerned, we may just have a winner.
This SBOTOP observer was certainly blissfully unaware of the joy in the Italian capital until my son informed me the other day.
‘Hey dad, did you did see the reaction to Paulo Dybala’s arrival in Rome’, was the gist of his comment. ‘It even surpassed when Ronaldo went to Juventus’.
And with that, I was intrigued.
Ok, so it wasn’t quite the levels of 11 months ago when, upon his arrival in Manchester, CR7 shirt sales hit an astonishing £187 million, earning him the record for the fastest-selling shirt in Premier League history.
But, sure enough, Dybala has broken Ronaldo’s record for shirt sales within 24 hours in Italy.
Ronaldo had set the record for most jerseys sold in one day when he swapped Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018.
Now Dybala has topped Ronaldo’s 520,000 jersey sales with shirt sales for the new Roma hero reaching approximately 535,000 in one day.
To beat the Italian record set by the Portuguese sensation is no mean feat, and the fact he turned down the chance to stay at Juventus to become the new poster boy for Italian football’s biggest sleeping giant has gripped their support.
They will be further endeared to the 28 year-old Argentina international after he politely declined the chance to wear Roma’s iconic No.10 jersey, which was last worn by club legend Francesco Totti, out of respect for the Italian, instead opting for the No. 21 shirt.
Of course, it will take more than Dybala, who has inked a three-year deal to the Giallorossi, to lift the club to where it wants to be.
The way the season panned out, with Roma’s best league form coming during the period where there was no European football, can justify manager Jose Mourinho’s claim that, despite spending more than €100 million last summer, his team lacks depth.
However, his arrival will enhance optimism caused by their finish to last term when silverware returned to the Roma cabinet – albeit the inaugural Europa Conference League – so the feel-good factor is clear.
The player’s credentials are there and he netted 115 goals across 292 matches during a seven-year trophy-laden spell with Juventus littered with Serie A highlights.
The potential partnership between him and Tammy Abraham is an exciting one and this week’s unveiling could also be quite something.
Local authorities have confirmed that Dybala will be unveiled to the supporters on Tuesday night in the EUR area of the city – specifically, the Colosseo Quadrato at the Palazzo della Civiltà, which is also the headquarters of fashion house Fendi.
There are already some barriers and stages put up in the area, confirming the recent commercial partnership between Roma and Fendi.
Meanwhile, there are also long queues for tickets to the friendly match against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Stadio Olimpico on August 7, which will be the presentation of Mourinho’s squad to the fans.
In truth, Dybala has already hit the ground running, linking up with his new teammates in pre-season and the Serie A betting odds, which places them as fifth favourites for the title, could yet be slashed if a few more big names follow.
Are Roma ready to challenge the defending champions Milan and Inter for the title?
Probably not but they may go quite a bit closer given they have acquired Dybala, Nemanja Matic, Zeki Celik and Mile Svilar so far and are reportedly in talks with Paris Saint-Germain for Georginio Wijnaldum.
Former Roma forward Marco Delvecchio has likened the signing of Dybala as similar to the arrival of Gabriel Batistuta two decades ago.
For those who cannot remember, Batistuta scored 20 goals in 28 games in Serie A as they won the long-awaited Scudetto, a title that the capital’s residents had been denied for 18 years and have not won since.
Months later, AS Roma would beat Fiorentina in the Italian Super Cup.
By conquering glory in the city of emperors and gladiators, Batistuta’s legacy was assured. If Dybala can manage just an element of what Batistuta achieved in his sole full season in the capital, then we could be about to see something special.
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