Pogba’s Future: The Unfulfilled Potential
Paul Pogba, the 30-year-old Juventus midfielder, may have seen his career come to an abrupt end with a four-year ban for doping. Despite his talent and occasional moments of brilliance, Pogba never managed to consistently showcase his full potential on the field. The French football journalist, Julien Laurens, described Pogba as a generational talent and a genius. However, he believes that Pogba fell short of what could have been a legendary career. Laurens recalls seeing a 15-year-old Pogba and believing that he would go on to win Ballons d’Or and become the best player in the world.
Pogba’s future is now uncertain. He was provisionally suspended in September after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. The four-year ban, backdated to August 2023, has left Pogba’s career hanging in the balance. Pogba plans to appeal the verdict, claiming that he never knowingly or deliberately took any banned substances. He insists that the full story will come to light once he is free of legal restrictions.
The circumstances surrounding Pogba’s doping case are rather peculiar. According to reports, he took food supplements given to him by a friend who is a doctor in Miami, unaware of their contents. Laurens suggests that Pogba’s sentence might have been reduced if he had admitted to his naivety and informed Juventus’ medical staff. However, Laurens finds Pogba’s expectations of a reduced sentence due to his lack of knowledge somewhat naive.
There is a possibility that Pogba’s ban could be reduced if he can prove that the doping was unintentional or that his samples were contaminated. If successful, his ban might be reduced to two years, allowing for a potential comeback. However, Laurens believes that a four-year ban effectively ends Pogba’s career. Considering his age, injuries, and lack of consistent playing time in recent seasons, Laurens doubts that Pogba would be ready to return to the game at 35. If the ban is reduced to two years, there might be a chance for Pogba to secure one final contract at the age of 33.
Pogba’s current club, Juventus, has reportedly reduced his salary to a mere £2,000 a month due to a collective agreement between clubs and players’ unions. With his contract running until June 2026, more than a year before his ban would be over, Juventus also has the option to cancel his contract. The club has yet to release an official statement on their course of action, pending the outcome of Pogba’s appeal.
Despite his unfulfilled potential, Pogba has had a successful career by most standards. Starting his career at Manchester United, he moved to Juventus and won Serie A in each of his first four seasons at the club. He returned to United for a then-world-record fee of £89m in 2016, winning the Europa League and FA Cup in his first season back. Pogba’s crowning achievement came when he helped France win the 2018 World Cup, scoring a goal in the final against Croatia.
However, Pogba’s career never quite reached the heights that were expected of him. He never came close to winning a Ballon d’Or, and his two trophies with United in 2017 turned out to be his last at the club. Injuries and a lack of form hampered his final seasons at United, and his return to Juventus as a free agent was meant to be a fresh start. Unfortunately, injuries and now this ban have limited him to just 213 minutes of playing time for the Italian club.
Pogba’s reunion with Juventus was supposed to be the start of a new chapter, a triumphant return for the prodigal son. Instead, his career has been cut short, leaving fans wondering what could have been. Laurens believes that Pogba’s career fell short of what it could have been, stating that he should have achieved much more with his talent.
In conclusion, Paul Pogba’s career hangs in the balance following a four-year ban for doping. Despite his immense talent, Pogba failed to consistently reach his full potential on the field. While he plans to appeal the ban, the uncertainty surrounding his future raises questions about whether he will ever play professionally again. Regardless, Pogba’s career, although successful by most standards, is tinged with the feeling of unfulfilled potential.