Roma players Dybala and Cristante trade shoves during 4-1 pre-season friendly defeat to Cardiff City
Quick summary
Roma suffered a heavy 4-1 pre-season friendly loss to Cardiff City, with video footage showing Paulo Dybala and Bryan Cristante pushing each other during the match.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceVideo has emerged of a furious row between Roma teammates Paulo Dybala, Bryan Cristante and Matias Soulé, who were pushing and shoving each other during a 4-1 defeat to Cardiff City.
The scuffle erupted straight after the Giallorossi conceded the fourth goal of the friendly match in Wales on Saturday, and were complaining to the referee about an earlier foul in the build-up.
Roma players push and shove each other CARDIFF, WALES – AUGUST 01: Santiago Castro of AS Roma battles for the ball with Gabriel Osho of Cardiff during the during the pre-season friendly match between Cardiff City and AS Roma at Cardiff City Stadium on August 01, 2026 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) The footage taken from a spectator in the stands seemed to show Cristante criticising Soulé for not helping out the defence, then Dybala responded angrily by shoving his captain.
There was a strange attitude from Roma all afternoon. pic.twitter.com/y6ZXRUkx4z
— Mike (@mikeontheninian) August 2, 2026
Another clip shows the argument between Dybala and Cristante getting so heated that Wesley came over to separate them.
خلال مواجهة روما و كارديف سيتي الودية، حدثت مشادة كلامية بين باولو ديبالا و قائده براين كريستانتي، الأمور كادت تتفاقم لولا تدخل ويسلي فرانكا
#FriendlyMatch #SerieA #SerieAEnilive @OfficialASRoma #Dybala #Cristante pic.twitter.com/ASYrwfkEZQ
— Arte Del Calcio (@ArteDelCalcio) August 2, 2026
Both players only recently signed new contracts with Roma, after securing qualification for the Champions League.
Soulé is known to be on the market for €30m plus add-ons, and has been offered to Milan, but so far there are no firm buyers.
It has been a tough pre-season for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, who fumbled a 3-0 lead to draw with Cannes after Wesley was sent off, then lost 4-1 to Cardiff City.
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What happened
Roma were beaten 4-1 by Cardiff City in a pre-season friendly, with the result compounded by a visible altercation between teammates Paulo Dybala and Bryan Cristante. Footage captured the two midfield/attack players shoving each other on the pitch, suggesting internal frustration during a poor team performance. Pre-season results carry limited weight, but the public nature of the dispute could draw attention to squad morale ahead of the Serie A campaign. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini will need to address the incident as he integrates new signings and sets the tone for the season.
Chance analysis
A 4-1 friendly defeat to a Championship side and a visible on-pitch scuffle between two senior players is not a crisis but is notable for a club with European ambitions. Pre-season friendlies are often used to test combinations, and tensions during heavy losses are common, but public teammate altercations can hint at broader squad chemistry issues. For prediction systems, this is background noise — Roma's Serie A opener is what matters, and Gasperini's man-management will be the key variable to monitor.
Minor negative impact on Roma's pre-season morale narrative; no expected effect on competitive performance unless the dispute escalates.
A pre-season scuffle plus heavy friendly loss is low-signal; do not overweight this when modeling Roma's early Serie A fixtures.