The verdict is in, and it is brutal: Paul Pogba has received a four-year ban for a doping offense. The Frenchman was suspended in September after failing a drug test, leading to reports that his stay in Turin would be cut short. Now, his career might be over.
Everything Pogba has done has made headlines. His style and personality are what made him so loved among fans when he was performing; when he wasn’t, it was the reason he struggled. On the pitch, he regularly made jaw-dropping passes and scored the occasional screamer. The problem is, he wasn’t on the pitch that often: the Frenchman missed over 100 appearances due to injury during his career.
During his short-lived prime, every kid around the world wanted to be Paul Pogba. They mimicked his mannerisms on the field, tried the passes he did, wore his jersey, and most of all, celebrated with his famous celebration: the dab.
Then again: was Pogba’s prime really that short? While his time in Manchester yielded mixed results, Pogba was on a different level every time he stepped on the pitch for France. By the time he was 21, he was already a regular starter for France, guiding Les Bleus to the Round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup. Two years later, he would play a crucial role as France reached the finals of the Euros.
Pogba’s prime was arguably from 2015 to 2019. He helped France reach two finals (including the World Cup, which they won) while scoring 41 goals and assisting 42 more at club level for Juventus and Manchester United. During this span, Pogba broke Gareth Bale’s record as the most expensive player in the world, returning to England for a scarcely believable €105 million. Manchester United didn’t just buy Pogba for his skills: they bought him for his brand.
Pogba’s time in Manchester sums up his career: moments of magic followed by frustration. In 2018, he led a comeback against Manchester City, scoring a brace as United won 3-2. Just months later, Mourinho called him a virus. When Mourinho left, his form took a sharp upturn under Solskjaer — and then took just as sharp a fall.
These past few years have been a blur for Pogba. He was inconsistent in the Euros as France was knocked out in the Round of 16 — but also scored one of the best goals in the tournament’s recent history. His move to Juventus was seen as a way to rediscover his old form, but he missed nearly the entire season — and the World Cup — due to injury.
His off-the-pitch actions can’t be overlooked either. He was accused by his brother of hiring a witch doctor to cast a spell on Les Bleus star Kylian Mbappé, and he and his brother became involved in a very long and well-publicized extortion case. Then there was the ill-fated Pogmentary, which currently has a 1.1/10 rating on IMDb.
For some, Pogba represents wasted potential. He could have been one of the next great midfielders, possibly even one of the best players in the game’s history. He certainly had the skills to do so. However, one thing is certain: people won’t forget Paul Pogba anytime soon.
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Image Courtesy of manutd.com.
