There are moves that remain in the memory, and Paul Pogba’s assist to Olivier Giroud in France’s friendly match against Cameroon in late May 2016 is one such. The midfielder lightly shook the opponent in the center of the field, dribbling to his delight and then sent a perfectly rotated arcing ball, which went over the head of the African stopper and landed directly on the foot of the striker. Giroud had no trouble finishing with one touch after receiving such an amazing assist. It was Pogba in all his glory. In about two months, he became the most expensive player in history, returned from Juventus to Manchester United for about 110 million euros, and declared his dream to win the Ballon d’Or.
These aspirations were absolutely justified. Pogba was only 23, after four brilliant seasons with the Old Lady. When he starred in the black and white stripes, and also in the blue shirt of the national team, he was sometimes unstoppable and was defined as the modern midfielder without weak points. Also tall, also strong and powerful, also having tremendous control over the ball with a soft and gentle touch, also having excellent game vision, also an excellent scorer, and tactically disciplined. Without the last trait he would not have survived in Antonio Conte’s formation, from whom he learned a lot. He wouldn’t fit in Massimiliano Allegri’s team either, who took him to new heights.
Pogba drew a lot from his friends for the fantastic Juventus midfield in those days. With Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, it was one of the best squads in world football, and Pogba fitted into it close to perfection. In a relatively free position on the left wing, he tackled, saved, navigated, and also finished. He defined Pirlo as a maestro who changed the way football can be seen. He really seems to be on the way to greatness.
Paul Pogba in the French uniform (Reuters)
Throughout this period, Manchester United fans have felt considerable frustration that a player of this caliber has eluded them. Some blamed the club, including manager Alex Ferguson, for not giving him a chance in time. Some were angry with the midfielder himself, who allegedly took advantage of the Red Devils and left with a door slam as a free agent, without signing a new contract. Some speculated that the agent Mino Raiola was the source of all the problems, but it was easy to see that his choice for his client was actually excellent. Pogba’s career was going in the right direction, and he also returned to Old Trafford at a time that seemed logical to strengthen the brand even more. The celebration was big, the financial investment is hardly relevant because the investment could be recouped sooner, and the launch of the Pogback project grabbed the headlines in August 2016.
All of this went completely wrong, and now – when the fans look back on Pogba’s work – they mainly think about the negative headlines. The suspension he has now received for using banned substances, which keeps him out of football for four years and effectively ends his career if his appeal is not accepted, is only the latest chord in a series of sad events. He has impressive achievements on his resume, including winning the World Cup in 2018 where he scored a wonderful goal in the final, but even that was swallowed up in the quagmire. Bottom line, Pogba is currently branded as a flop, and there is a kind of consensus about this assertion, even if in practice it shouldn’t be.
This discrimination has various factors, and there is no doubt that the return to Manchester proved wrong in retrospect. Jose Mourinho, who started his tenure at Old Trafford that fateful summer, was, according to Pogba, a major factor in his selection. “I talked to Rafael Varane and Albero Morata, and they said he fits me and will upgrade me,” he noted in 2016. In practice, despite the attempts of both sides, this connection did not work, and Pogba became a nuisance for the special at the end of his tenure. Mourinho appointed the Frenchman as vice-captain, but later denied him the position, harshly criticized his conduct and approach, and even defined him as a “virus” in the players’ ears in the dressing room.
Paul Pogba with Mourinho (Reuters)
To an observer from the sidelines, it seemed that Pogba lacked motivation, and he was too busy with nonsense. The tendency to change haircuts every Monday and Thursday annoyed the fans because it was a symptom of unprofessionalism. Hair styling doesn’t have to be bad – for example, no one thought of complaining to Antoine Griezmann for dyeing himself pink last year, because his performance on the pitch really wasn’t affected by it, and his commitment to Atlético Madrid and the national team was never in doubt. On the other hand, Pogba suffered from extreme instability – in complete contrast to the stability that characterized him in his first term at Juventus.
The injuries also contributed greatly to the crash. In his youth, Pogba was as healthy as a bull in Juve, but after moving to Manchester he suffered from countless different injuries, and some believed that this was the result of a wrong lifestyle. It is impossible to determine this for sure, and it is possible that there was pure bad luck here, but one thing is certain – the frequent absences did not allow the Frenchman to develop momentum, even when he was mentally ready for it. It did not destroy his reputation, and the fact is that Pep Guardiola seriously considered signing him at Manchester City, and there were also frequent rumors of a possible move to Real Madrid. But these reports definitely damaged his image in the eyes of the Manchester United crowd, and at one point Pogba became a caricature of himself.
Paul Pogba in Manchester United uniform (Reuters)
The grotesque finish in the Premier League was well symbolized by the two games against Liverpool in his last season. In the home match, he was left on the bench, brought on at half-time when everything was already lost, and quickly received a red card, while the team was defeated 5:0. At Anfield, he started in the lineup in April 2022, got injured after 10 minutes and was replaced, and that was his last appearance, in a 4:0 defeat. Few were sorry when he left, and only grumbled that he once again moved to Juventus for nothing.
At the same time, the off-field adventures drifted into the bizarre realms. I don’t mean breaking into his house and the attempted kidnapping and extortion – it didn’t happen through Pogba’s fault. On the other hand, the reference to a witch went beyond the bounds of good taste, and his brother Mathias even claimed that Paul asked her to cast a curse on Kylian Mbappe. For his part, the midfielder insisted that he only wanted to remove the curse from himself so that he would stop getting injured. If that was indeed the intention, then the witch did a particularly bad job.
Paul Pogba (Reuters)
Juventus, who were excited for his return and hoped that he would be able to restore at least some of the abilities he displayed in the first term, discovered that he needed surgery on his knee, and the entire 2022/23 season went to waste. Then, when there were new expectations for the first time this season, the business ended with repeated injuries, and then the fateful drug test that followed and Pogba’s footballing path was expected to come to an end. For him, it is a tragedy, but the neutral fans will hardly notice his lack, because he started only once in the Juve team in the second term, and his last game in the French uniform was two years ago. To the average football fan, Pogba is a past player already, and it doesn’t really matter if he’s suspended or not.
It could have developed differently, because in terms of potential, Pogba was supposed to become one of the greatest players of his generation. Instead, his collapse may serve as a warning sign for young stars who need to know – it’s important to try to keep your feet on the ground even if you think at the age of 23 you can put the whole world in your little pocket.
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