Juventus Update: Cristiano Ronaldo Co-Star Likened To 'Neymar, Diego Maradona'

After years of teaming up with Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus forward Paulo Dybala is now being put on the same footing as some of the best players in the sport.

Dybala is playing his sixth season with reigning Serie A champions Juventus. The last three of which, he co-starred with Ronaldo. The pair has appeared to be a perfect fit for the Italian outfit.

Some Italian legends are still not pleased with Dybala’s performance, but for Old Lady legend Michel Platini, he is an exceptional player.

Platini recently weighed in on the 27-year-old’s form and how his game is different from Lionel Messi and Ronaldo.

According to the three-time Ballon d'Or winner, Dybala may have not reached the pinnacle of his career yet, but he already deserves to be compared to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar and the late Argentinian icon Diego Maradona.

“I like Paulo[Dybala] a lot,” the former president of UEFA told Gazzetta dello Sport. “He's part of the category of players like [Diego] Maradona, [Omar] Sivori, Neymar. He may have a little less talent, but let's see.”

“He's not [Cristiano] Ronaldo, he's not [Lionel] Messi and he's not a regista, he's an offensive playmaker who plays as a striker,” he added.

Platini also made a detailed comparison of his game to Dybala’s performance. Based on the multi-titled Juventus legend’s assessment, the Argentine may function as a midfielder but he’s naturally a “forward.”

Even more interesting, Platini thinks he and Dybala are almost the same except that he is a lot older now.

“The Argentine's [Dybala] very good on the pitch and he's fresh-faced,” the 65-year-old examined. “He comes across as a likable lad. It's interesting that he has matched me for goals and appearances in Serie A. Figures are one thing but we're different players.”

“I always try to avoid comparisons, but I can say that he's definitely better than me in one thing: he's 40 years younger,” he continued. “He's also more of an attacker than I was, he's a forward. They can play him wherever they want but he's still a forward.”

Like Platini, Italian businessman Maurizio Zampini also admires Dybala’s style of playing.

Zampini and Dybala worked together during their time at Palermo FC several years ago. However, the former is still sees the player as “the new Messi” and should take his talents to the Spanish top-flight.

"I am still convinced that he is the new Messi,” Zampini said of his former star. “Dybala, as well as a champion, is a very good guy. And I can't understand why many insiders tend to forget him.”

“Paulo should have followed my advice three years ago, to move away from Turin [Juventus],” he explained further. “I told him clearly, 'Paulo, for your own sake, you must leave Juventus.’ His football is fantasy [and is best suited to] Spain, at either Barcelona or Real Madrid. But he has always told me he feels good at Juventus."