Paul Pogba: The most disastrous return in football history

Carlo Garganese

12 Sep 2023 02:30 CDT
3 min read

Paul Pogba, Juventus, 2022-23 — © ProShots

The most disastrous return in football history.

That will be the only way to describe Paul Pogba’s return to Juventus in 2022, if his failed doping test is confirmed by his B Sample over the next week.

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The world of football was shaken on Monday when it was announced that Pogba had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone.

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.

Pogba has now been provisionally suspended and the next step is a B Sample will be analysed by the same laboratory that tested the A Sample.

If a positive test is confirmed, Pogba will be suspended ahead of trial and faces a ban of up to four years.

Pogba is expected to argue his innocence in the matter.

His agent Rafaela Pimenta stated on Monday evening: “We’re waiting for the counter-analysis and we can’t say anything now.

“For sure, Pogba never wanted to bend the rules — I can guarantee that.”

Nevertheless, this is just the latest disaster 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 has suffered injury after injury - eight in total - and has barely played for the club.

In total, Pogba has missed 54 matches through injury since the start of the 2022-23 season. He also sat out the 2022 World Cup for France.

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

He has played just 214 minutes of football, scoring no goals and providing just one assist. He has been 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 two seasons.

This season he has made two substitute appearances. He played for 24 minutes versus Bologna and 28 minutes against Empoli. He suffered another injury in the latter that he had since been recovering from.

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 has become a massive financial burden on a club who are already in economic turmoil. Paid €8 million net a season, he will cost Juventus over €30m in gross wages between now and the end of his contract.

Juventus had even been attempting to either lower his salary or spread it over a longer contract to help amortise the cost.

The Pogba nightmare then unlocked another level on Monday with this failed doping test.

The nightmare never ends for Pogba and for Juventus.