24th June, 2024
By Taiwo Okanlawon
French footballer and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has described himself as dead and non-existent.
The former Manchester United midfielder, made this alarming claim amid his doping ban, saying he ‘doesn’t exist anymore’.
Pogba said as a footballer, one’s successes and achievements could be forgotten in a minute.
The Juventus midfielder is currently serving a four-year ban, handed out to for testing positive for testosterone metabolites in his system.
Pogba, who is currently signed to Juventus made a heartbreaking claim in a recent interview, according to The Guardian Nigeria as quoted by Sportskeeda.
“Football is very beautiful but it’s cruel. You can do something great and the next day you’re nobody.
“I’m over, I’m dead. Paul Pogba doesn’t exist anymore.”
Paul Pogba, was banned from football for four years for a doping offence.
He was handed the ban by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado), after the failed drugs test was confirmed by in a second sample in October, and the anti-doping prosecutor’s office had requested a four-year suspension.
The former Manchester United player was provisionally suspended in September after a drugs test found elevated levels of testosterone in his system.
France international Pogba, 30, was randomly tested after Juventus’ first match of the season on 20 August.
According to BBC Sport, Pogba is likely to appeal against Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal’s (Nado) decision.
Juventus told the BBC they received notification from the anti-doping tribunal on Thursday morning.
The ruling means Pogba will be unable to play until 2027, when he will be 33, with the ban backdated to the date of the failed test.
It is understood Pogba believes that if he did take a banned substance, he did so inadvertently.
Speaking at the time of the initial suspension, Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, said: “What is certain is that Paul Pogba never wanted to break a rule.”
Testosterone is a hormone that increases the endurance of athletes.
Nado said Pogba had violated rules when prohibited non-endogenous testosterone metabolites – substances not naturally produced by the body from testosterone – were found in the test, and the results were “consistent with the exogenous [external] origin of the target compounds”.
Juventus re-signed Pogba on a four-year deal in July 2022 after the player ran down his contract at Manchester United and left as a free agent.
He also played for the Italian giants from 2012-16, when he made 178 appearances across all competitions and scored 34 goals, before joining United for a then-world record transfer fee of £89.3m.
The 2018 World Cup winner’s return to Turin has been beset by persistent injury problems which also saw him miss last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Pogba has played a total of 51 minutes as a substitute this season in games with Bologna and Empoli.
Last season he played 108 minutes over six Serie A games, made three appearances and one assist in the Europa League, and managed 11 minutes in the Coppa Italia – a total of 162 minutes and no goals.
Pogba, who left Manchester United when his contract expired in January, signed a four-year contract with Juventus.
It will tie the 29-year-old down with the Turin club until June 2026.
Pogba was signed by Manchester United in 2016 for a then-world record fee of 89 million pounds (106.32 million dollars).
But the four-time Serie A champion won only two trophies with the Premier League club —- the League Cup and the Europa League —- in his first season.
Having come through the Manchester United youth system, Pogba made a handful of senior appearances before opting not to extend his contract, joining Juventus in 2012.
It was a move which had irked then manager Alex Ferguson.
Pogba became a regular in the Juventus side during his four-year spell with the Serie A club.
He even earned a call-up to the France national team before Manchester United decided to spend a record sum to bring their former player back to Old Trafford.
His arrival was meant to signal a new era at Manchester United —- a club that was struggling to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, let alone be considered title contenders.
But he was unable to replicate his consistency in Serie A when he arrived in England.
A fallout with Jose Mourinho led to Pogba being stripped of the vice-captaincy.
Although the Frenchman had a brief resurgence under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his overall contributions were limited by injuries or a lack of support on the pitch.
Pogba had rarely grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.