Paul Pogba’s career could be over after his four-year ban for doping with the feeling that the 30-year-old Juventus midfielder never fulfilled his potential.
The former Manchester United player, who won the World Cup with France, was supremely talented and in bursts looked an absolute world-beater – but he never really showed it on a consistent basis.
He has already said he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), but if that fails, by the time he will be eligible to play again – August 2027 – he will be 34 and without a club.
So it will be a big ask for a player who has not managed the equivalent of 22 full league games in a season since 2018-19 to stay fit and motivated for such a long period of time.
French football journalist Julien Laurens said on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Euro Leagues show: “I remember seeing him as a 15-year-old and he was the best thing I’ve ever seen.
“He was so good, a generational talent, an absolute genius.
“He had a good career, he won four Serie A titles and the World Cup. It’s a really good career. But he was so good that I thought there was no limit.
“I thought he’ll get to the top, he’ll win Ballons d’Or, he’ll win more trophies and be the best player in the world.
“In the end we will always look back at his career and him probably the same way thinking what should have been.”
Pogba was provisionally suspended in September after a drugs test taken after the opening game of the season found elevated levels of testosterone in his system.
(BBC sport)
