Dybala posts mural message while sidelined with calf injury

Paulo Dybala, still out with a calf problem, has posted a message on Instagram alongside a photo of a Rome street mural dedicated to him, Corriere dello Sport reported. The artwork by street artist Drugi shows a child in a Giallorossi shirt playing with a superhero version of Dybala as a toy.

"Football has given me so much. Being able to give something back by making a child smile in the streets is one of the most beautiful things," Dybala wrote, according to the report. The post drew warm responses from fans, his wife Oriana Sabatini and teammates, including Malen and Gollini.

Dybala has not played since the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid at the Olimpico on 14 October, when he stayed in the dressing room at half-time with discomfort in his right calf. A later scan found a small lesion in the calf muscle that had been masked by swelling in the initial tests, extending his absence past the international break.

The Argentine had started the season strongly, playing eight games — six in Serie A and two in the Champions League — and providing four assists, all in the league, before the injury interrupted his run.