Zinedine Zidane endorsed Paul Pogba as one of the best footballers in history, but now he faces a tarnished legacy
Paul Pogba went from being the World Cup winner and the most expensive player in football to having a tarnished legacy in football..
The 30-year-old man was slapped with a four year ban of football for doping crimes after testing positive for a banned testosterone in August.
It means that French, which has not appeared for Juventus from the third week of the 2023/24 Serie A season, he may never play at the highest level again.
Once considered the most technically gifted midfielder of his generation, Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane declared that he had the potential to be among the best players in the world.
He told L'Equipe in 2014: “Maybe we are talking too much about Pogba.
“But if he can maintain his current development, he can become one of the best players of all time.”
It was only eight years ago that manchester united broke the world record to sign him.
A former Red Devils academy star, Pogba He enjoyed four trophy-laden seasons with Juve during his first spell before returning to Old Trafford.
United shelled out a whopping £89.3 million to secure his services, where he proved to be an instant success.
He scored in the Europa League final victory against Ajax in his first campaign, in addition to lifting the League Cup that same year.
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And in 2018, he was instrumental in France winning the World Cup in Russia, where he found the back of the net in the final against Croatia.
His stay in Manchester became controversial with many ups and downs.
Criticism came from all sides, including Liverpool legend Graeme Souness and Coach José Mourinho.
When his contract at the Theater of Dreams expired, he rejoined Juve, but now his career appears to be over.
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talkSPORT presenter and former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has described the doping news as a sad end to Pogba's career.
He said: “Ultimately no one wants to see you in this position, it's a standard way, if you are found guilty under the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) code then you will find yourself in a situation where you get a four-year ban. .
“That's the standard way, if you can reduce it on appeal, what that means is you can at least be out of the game for two years.
“And even then, at two years, the situation could mean the end of his career.
“He will protest his innocence, but results are results, if he has these PEDs or testosterone boosters in his system, then he will have to find a way to explain it on appeal.
“But he can't, because he has already been found guilty, so it's not a question of whether he is guilty or not, but whether the punishment is punitive.
“It is a sad ending for Pogba, because he was revered as one of the best midfielders and criticized for his performances at Man United.
“His teammates criticized him for not being at the level he should have been, he has returned to Italian football because that was his natural home and they sanctioned him for drugs.”
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Despite his doping ban, French journalist Erik Bielderman has insisted that Pogba will not be viewed negatively in his country due to his dazzling performances at the World Cup.
Speaking on the White and Jordan show, he commented: “It’s obviously the end.
“Due to injuries over the past three years, he was already on the dark side of his career.
“I don't think he will be viewed negatively (for the doping violation), we will remember that he is a World Cup winner and that he was one of the core of the World Cup team.
“He was one of the stars, so for that we will be forever grateful.”
