Once the most expensive player in football history, former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years after failing a drugs test in August. The French international most recently turned out for Italian side Juventus, who he rejoined in 2022 after six seasons in the English Premier League.
A prodigious talent from a young age, Pogba’s playing style and physique led to comparisons with legendary French midfielders Patrick Vieira, Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini, but fans were often left wanting more from a player who has struggled with inconsistency throughout his career.
Unless an appeal is successful, Pogba will be unable to play football until the 2027/28 season – he will be 34 years old by this point and will have missed the final years of what is typically a footballer’s prime.
Now that his time at the top level looks all but over, we’ve taken a look at why Pogba’s career will likely be remembered as one of unfulfilled potential instead of the hall-of-fame story that we were promised a decade ago.
Remember, you can bet on over 200 markets per match on all of Europe’s top matches here at Bet9ja!
Manchester United Return – An Expensive Mistake?
Pogba returned to Manchester United in 2016 at just 23 years old, with the world at his feet and a world record £89 million transfer fee on his shoulders.
The Frenchman joined The Red Devils with a point to prove after originally leaving the club in 2012. However, despite some performances showcasing his prodigious talent, he was unable to inspire The Red Devils to any sort of success at the top level of domestic or European competition.
Pogba was deployed in a variety of different roles for United, with his midfield partners changing frequently. The club’s transfer strategy was often criticised during his time in England. At international level, Pogba won the 2018 FIFA World Cup – shining in midfield alongside Chelsea’s N’golo Kanté. However, Pogba was rarely afforded the same freedom to burst forward and express himself offensively at club level.
In the same timeframe, Pogba’s old teammates at Juventus continued to dominate Serie A and impress on the European stage while Pogba was lamenting the lack of affection he received from Manchester United fans.
Injuries and inconsistency
In the seven seasons between 2016/17 and 2022/23, Pogba missed 170 matches for both Juventus and Manchester United. This led to him missing the 2022 FIFA World Cup and large parts of his clubs’ campaigns – subsequently he was unable to find form consistently and found himself building up match fitness just to be injured once again.
It remains unclear if his performance-enhancing drug use was a result of wanting to return from and prevent injuries more efficiently – this is common practice in many sports, where athletes will often be giving circumstantially dependent allowance to accelerate their rehabilitation process.
Another aspect of Pogba’s career that has been often criticised is his attitude – a confident character, the Frenchman clashed with experienced Italian manager Maximiliano Allegri in his second spell in Italy and was a target for pundits during his time in the English Premier League as he frequently cut a lazy figure on the pitch.
