How Pogba 'wanted to quit football' after being kidnapped

FT Desk

• Updated: 25 Oct 2022 17:09 BST
• 3 min read

Paul Pogba has had a miserable time of it since returning to Juventus on a free transfer from Manchester United this summer.

Pogba made his name at Juventus after the first time he swapped Manchester for Turin in 2012, before United bought him back for a then-record €105 million in 2016.

His second spell at Old Trafford was a mixed back, and the player was visibly relieved when he secured a return to Juventus this summer, posting his joy on social media.

But things have quickly turned for him. A torn meniscus in his right knee means he is likely to miss the winter World Cup in Qatar with France, while his provate life took a significantly more sinister turn.

His brother Mathias is in police custody in France after attempting to extort him, and Pogba was kidnapped on his last trip home to his native Lagny-sur-Marne.

Now his friend Boubacar Camara has told investigators of his plight.

"He was sitting on a bed in a Paris hotel. He was crying and struggled to talk," Camara said of the episode which saw some of Pogba's childhood friends steal €300,000 and a credit card.

"He told me that a group of hooded people had kidnapped him, demanding €13m. He confessed that he wanted to disappear and no longer play football. He was afraid for his family. Now he trusts nobody, but I am innocent, a victim like him."

Camara had previously lived in Turin with Pogba during the midfielder's first season at Juventus Stadium but returned home to France due to the birth of his son.

Pogba is yet to make his second debut for Juve but reports from Italy suggest the Old Lady are optimistic of having him available against PSG in the Champions League next month.

For now, he is recuperating at home in Turin, where he remains under police protection.