Dybala gifts match shirt to tearful young fan after Roma's win at Torino

Paulo Dybala delivered another performance of high quality against Torino, laying on the assist for Donyell Malen's opening goal, but it was an off-field gesture that captured hearts. As Dybala left the pitch, he noticed a young Roma fan holding a sign asking for his shirt. Without hesitation, he approached the stands and handed over his jersey to a steward, who passed it to the child. The boy was overcome with emotion, breaking down in tears of joy at receiving the gift. The video of the moment spread rapidly across social media, shared by Roma's official accounts and the Serie A social media pages, garnering thousands of comments praising Dybala's kindness.

Paulo Dybala gave away his match shirt to a young Roma fan after yesterday's fixture at the Olimpico in Turin, in a gesture that moved the child to tears. Despite a travel ban for residents of the Lazio region, Roma supporters from across Italy filled the stadium. At the final whistle, many fans held up banners asking their heroes for shirts, but only one was fortunate enough to receive Dybala's. The Argentine approached the boy, pointed to him, and handed over his kit. The young supporter then burst into tears, his father standing beside him in disbelief. The moment exemplified Dybala's character both on and off the pitch—a champion in every sense.

Roma's evolution under coach Gian Piero Gasperini has taken shape across two decisive fixtures—the Champions League debut against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday and a four-day-later trip to Turin against Torino—that showcase the impact of the summer transfer market overhaul steered by new sporting director D'Amico. In the first match, Roma's return to Europe's elite competition after a seven-year absence saw Gasperini field performers who had earned third place in Serie A. Against Torino, however, two summer signings started, with three more introduced during play as Roma secured a fourth consecutive league win. Despite missing three key players—Evan N'Dicka, Wesley, and Manu Koné—Roma maintained tactical identity and attacking threat at Turin, underlining how the summer reinforcements have strengthened the squad's reliability compared to the previous season. The shift in personnel tells the story plainly. A year ago, Gasperini would have replaced N'Dicka and Wesley with Kostas Tsimikas and Jan Ziółkowski; neither remains at Trigoria. Manu Koné's role would have gone to Neil El Aynaoui, who has been moved on after one season, as have Tsimikas and Ziółkowski. In their place came Leonardo Balerdi and Nahuel Molina, both Argentine internationals—Balerdi absent from last year's World Cup only through injury, Molina a Qatar winner alongside Paulo Dybala and recently a World Cup runner-up. Niccolò Pisilli, grown into his role at the start of 2026 and a national team player, has inherited Koné's midfield spot. Gasperini paired Balerdi immediately with Marten de Roon, who arrived from Bergamo in the final moments of the window and played more than half the second half against Torino. Lorenzo Pellegrini, called up after five months out, extended Gasperini's roster of captains—the coach has made clear he possesses multiple leaders beyond Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini. Gasperini operates what he calls the "law of sixteen," seeking to deploy the same core of players in every match to guarantee brilliance, intensity and competitive edge. He refuses publicly to divide his squad into starters and substitutes; there is no difference between a player who begins and one who enters in progress. New sporting director D'Amico's tenure has produced a squad numerically smaller than its predecessor, as D'Amico himself acknowledged, yet Gasperini presented it at full strength in Turin. The article notes that one or two adjustments in January may be needed to perfect the squad further.

Paulo Dybala delivered another performance of high quality against Torino, laying on the assist for Donyell Malen's opening goal, but it was an off-field gesture that captured hearts. As Dybala left the pitch, he noticed a young Roma fan holding a sign asking for his shirt. Without hesitation, he approached the stands and handed over his jersey to a steward, who passed it to the child. The boy was overcome with emotion, breaking down in tears of joy at receiving the gift. The video of the moment spread rapidly across social media, shared by Roma's official accounts and the Serie A social media pages, garnering thousands of comments praising Dybala's kindness.

Paulo Dybala gave away his match shirt to a young Roma fan after yesterday's fixture at the Olimpico in Turin, in a gesture that moved the child to tears. Despite a travel ban for residents of the Lazio region, Roma supporters from across Italy filled the stadium. At the final whistle, many fans held up banners asking their heroes for shirts, but only one was fortunate enough to receive Dybala's. The Argentine approached the boy, pointed to him, and handed over his kit. The young supporter then burst into tears, his father standing beside him in disbelief. The moment exemplified Dybala's character both on and off the pitch—a champion in every sense.

Roma's evolution under coach Gian Piero Gasperini has taken shape across two decisive fixtures—the Champions League debut against Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday and a four-day-later trip to Turin against Torino—that showcase the impact of the summer transfer market overhaul steered by new sporting director D'Amico. In the first match, Roma's return to Europe's elite competition after a seven-year absence saw Gasperini field performers who had earned third place in Serie A. Against Torino, however, two summer signings started, with three more introduced during play as Roma secured a fourth consecutive league win. Despite missing three key players—Evan N'Dicka, Wesley, and Manu Koné—Roma maintained tactical identity and attacking threat at Turin, underlining how the summer reinforcements have strengthened the squad's reliability compared to the previous season. The shift in personnel tells the story plainly. A year ago, Gasperini would have replaced N'Dicka and Wesley with Kostas Tsimikas and Jan Ziółkowski; neither remains at Trigoria. Manu Koné's role would have gone to Neil El Aynaoui, who has been moved on after one season, as have Tsimikas and Ziółkowski. In their place came Leonardo Balerdi and Nahuel Molina, both Argentine internationals—Balerdi absent from last year's World Cup only through injury, Molina a Qatar winner alongside Paulo Dybala and recently a World Cup runner-up. Niccolò Pisilli, grown into his role at the start of 2026 and a national team player, has inherited Koné's midfield spot. Gasperini paired Balerdi immediately with Marten de Roon, who arrived from Bergamo in the final moments of the window and played more than half the second half against Torino. Lorenzo Pellegrini, called up after five months out, extended Gasperini's roster of captains—the coach has made clear he possesses multiple leaders beyond Bryan Cristante and Gianluca Mancini. Gasperini operates what he calls the "law of sixteen," seeking to deploy the same core of players in every match to guarantee brilliance, intensity and competitive edge. He refuses publicly to divide his squad into starters and substitutes; there is no difference between a player who begins and one who enters in progress. New sporting director D'Amico's tenure has produced a squad numerically smaller than its predecessor, as D'Amico himself acknowledged, yet Gasperini presented it at full strength in Turin. The article notes that one or two adjustments in January may be needed to perfect the squad further.