All posts tagged: paul pogba ban

Paul Pogba: A career destined for the stars that could end as one of the greatest what-if stories in football | Football News

Paul Pogba might never play a competitive football game again. The four-year ban for doping, unless he successfully revokes it – an unlikely outcome – would spell doom for a career that could be slotted straightaway into the textbook of cautionary lessons. It’s tragic that a career seemingly destined for the stratosphere could wither away in anonymity, even more tragic when the tragedy is largely self-scripted. The French midfielder’s career had all the narrative arcs to weave a rags-to riches-and-glory story. The deprived upbringing in a rough quarter of Paris for immigrants; the jaw-dropping skills that crammed Le Havre Academy with scouts; exit and return to Manchester United for a then-record British transfer fee; a World Cup winner at 25, with the author of a stunning goal in the final; multiple-time league winner with Juventus, touted as the heir to Zinedine Zidane; the future bright and sparkling, a potential Ballon d’Or winner. Instead of being a genuine great of the game, this would be one of the greatest what-could-have-been stories with deep layers of intrigue …

Paul Pogba might never set foot on a football field again. Find out why | Football News

Former Manchester United and current Juventus player Paul Pogba was on Thursday banned from the sport for 4 years due to doping, according to various news outlets. Last year, Pogba had tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’s first game of the season against Udinese. He was then given his hefty punishment by an anti-doping prosecutor’s office on Thursday. It’s another negative note for a player who has been bothered by injuries ever since rejoining Juventus from Manchester United a little more than a year ago. He was ruled out of France’s run to the World Cup final last year due to a knee injury and played in only six Serie A matches for Juventus last season. There’s also been a police investigation ongoing in France into allegations that Pogba was targeted by extortionists — including by his older brother, Mathias, who has denied any wrongdoing. The latest blow to Juventus follows the 2022 season being marred by inquiries into false accounting and irregular reporting of salary payments. The legal cases resulted in the Turin club …