Paul Pogba: The most disastrous return in football history

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 29 Feb 2024 12:30 GMT
• 3 min read

The most disastrous return in football history.

That is the only way to describe Paul Pogba’s return to Juventus after he was banned for four years from football for doping on Thursday.

The world of football was shaken back in September when it was announced that Pogba had tested positive for DHEA, which can raise the levels of testosterone in the body.

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A blood test revealing this result had taken place after the 3-0 Serie A victory away to Udinese on August 20, a match Pogba was a substitute in.

A second sample also tested positive in October, leading to Pogba being provisionally suspended. He has not played or trained with his Juventus teammates since.

The anti-doping tribunal has now accepted requests from the FIGC Prosecutor for Pogba to be suspended for four years.

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Pogba can appeal but, with the player to turn 31 next month, it is now clear that this is most likely the end of the Frenchman's top-level career and the end of his Juventus career. Indeed, it is expected that Juventus will rescind the player's contract that expires in 2026.

This is the final nail in the coffin in what has been a nightmare return for Pogba at Juventus.

His first spell with the Bianconeri from 2012 to 2016 was a glorious one. Joining as a teenager from Man Utd on a free transfer, he emerged and then established himself as one of the best players in world football.

Pogba played a pivotal role in a Juventus team that won four straight Scudetti and reached the final of the Champions League.

In the summer of 2016 he was sold to Man Utd for a then-world record fee.

Although his time at United was largely a disappointment, Pogba hoped to re-establish himself as one of the best midfielders on the planet by returning to Juve last year.

Again, he joined on a free transfer when his contract at United ran out.

However, his return has been an unmitigated disaster.

He suffered injury after injury - eight in total - and barely played for the club before his doping violation.

In total, Pogba missed 54 matches through injury from the start of the 2022-23 season until he failed his doping test 12 months later. He also sat out the 2022 World Cup for France.

He started one match for Juventus after returning - a game he limped off from against Cremonese in tears in the first half.

He played just 214 minutes of football, scoring no goals and providing just one assist. He was unable to help a Juventus team who have been in crisis both on and off the pitch - being stripped of a Champions League place and thus out of Europe this term with no trophies won the last three seasons.

This season he made two substitute appearances before his failed test. He played for 24 minutes versus Bologna and 28 minutes against Empoli. He suffered another injury in the latter.

His body seems unable to cope with the rigours of modern football any longer. And this has been an issue for many years now as he was also plagued by injuries for two of his final three years at Man Utd.

Pogba’s performance against Empoli was widely mocked as he was - understandably - well off the pace and incredibly slow when moving around the pitch.

Realising Pogba’s physical decline, Juventus tried to offload the 30-year-old to Saudi Arabia this summer - just one year into his four-year contract.

Pogba refused as he was determined to make a success of his return to Juventus.

But he had become a massive financial burden on a club who were already in economic turmoil. Paid €8 million net a season, he was set to cost Juventus over €30m in gross wages between the time of his violation and the end of his contract.

In many ways, his failed doping test did Juventus a favour. They have since been able to legally pay him just €2,400 per month, thus saving a fortune. They will now likely tear up his contract and get him off their books altogether.

That will signal the end of the nightmare for Juventus in what has been the most disastrous return in football history.