It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that French World Cup winner, Paul Pogba, has been banned from football for doping offences, though the length of the punishment may surprise some.
The 30-year-old failed a drugs test last August, after he tested positive for testosterone at the conclusion of Juventus’ match against Udinese, the first of the 2023/24 Serie A campaign.
Paul Pogba has been banned for four years
In handing out a whopping four-year sentence – which is almost guaranteed to end Pogba’s career at the elite level – the prosecutor’s office were noted by La Repubblica as never having believed the defence that the player had ingested the drug accidentally.
The Frenchman, once the most expensive player in world football, will be a fortnight shy of his 35th birthday when his ban ends.
Given such a hiatus, it’s difficult to imagine that he will be in the shape required to continue playing at anywhere close to the highest level.
His staggering fall from grace should therefore serve as a warning to younger players who think they have it all and have ‘made it.’
You’re only one bad decision away from seeing it all slip through your fingers.
Although the World Cup win was an obvious high point, things haven’t gone right for the player ever since.
Re-signing for Man United proved to be one of his worst career decisions, and injuries had blighted his time back at Juve before this ultimate humiliation.
UPDATE: Pogba statement in full as he vows to appeal four-year ban.