Unless there’s still some hidden prologue, the saga of Paulo Dybala’s contract renewal has finally reach its anti-climactic ending.

The soap opera lasted for almost two years. During this span, Juventus endured a change in the management, and even the player hired a new agent. And yet, the final outcome was somewhat inevitable.

After seven years filled with great memories (and some sour ones), the hierarchy decided that the Argentine can no longer be the center of the project.

Although the two parties had reached a verbal agreement last fall, the management decided to retract on its offer, instead lowering the proposed figures .

When Jorge Antun met with the Juventus directors on Monday, it appeared that the whole meeting was a mere formality. The agent expectedly refused the reduced offer, and the management would later inform him the decision to end all contract talks.

Whether CEO Maurizio Arrivabene and sporting director Federico Cherubini are right or wrong in their assessment is another debate for another day. But what’s crystal clear is that Juventus was the party that decided to end the collaboration that lasted for seven years.

While Dybala had always prioritized Juventus, the club blatantly told him that he’s no longer a priority in Turin.

Therefore, La Joya deserves to maintain a place close to our hearts even following his departure. In the past, we’ve seen the likes of Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba expressing their desire to leave in search for greener pastures and more silverware.

This doesn’t mean that the two midfielders don’t deserve appreciation for what they’ve achieved during their stints in Turin, but Dybala deserves much more affection, as he was willing to tie the knot with Juventus for the rest of his career, at a time when the club’s fortunes have turned south.

Therefore, none of us can blame him if he decides to join one our rivals who offer him more guarantees, even if the sight of our beloved star in black and red stripes or (worse) in a black and blue jersey would be incredibly hard to swallow.