Reports indicate that former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been handed a four-year ban from football following a failed drugs test in August 2023. Italian newspaper La Repubblica first broke the news.
The 30-year-old reportedly tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’s season opener against Udinese, prompting strict sanctions from an anti-doping prosecutor’s office in Italy, as reported by La Repubblica.
Pogba’s legal team rejected a plea deal and sought a lenient sentence, claiming that he unintentionally consumed the substance leading to the positive test. However, the prosecution did not accept Pogba’s defense, resulting in the ban that could potentially mark the end of his football career.
Turning 31 next month, Pogba faces the prospect of being sidelined until he is almost 35 years old.
This suspension marks a stark downfall for a player who was once the world’s most expensive footballer. After returning to Old Trafford in 2016 from Juventus for a record fee of £89 million, Pogba struggled to replicate his earlier success. Despite winning the World Cup with France in 2018, he failed to consistently perform at United.
In 2022, Pogba left United for Juventus on a free transfer, aiming to reignite his career. However, his return to Turin was marred by injuries, limiting his playing time.
Although he was named on the bench for Juventus’s first match of the 2023-24 season, Pogba did not play. Subsequently, his failed drug test has resulted in the severe four-year ban.