Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned from football for years retroactive to a positive test for testosterone metabolites in August.
Pogba plans to appeal but as it stands will not be eligible to play again until August 2027.
[ MORE: Premier League 2023-24 hub — Fixtures, results, stream info ]
He turns 31 next month, putting him at 34 by the time he’s next able to play and putting his career under a cloud of uncertainty.
According to Sky Sports, Pogba tested positive for DHEA, “a compound that promotes the production of hormones in the body including testosterone. Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta insisted ‘Paul never wanted to break the rules.’”
Further testing confirmed no errors in the results and Pogba said he never intentionally took prohibited substances.
Paul Pogba releases statement after doping ban
(from instagram.com)
“I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping’s decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect. I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.
“When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations.
“As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.
“As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
How will Paul Pogba’s legacy be affected by four-year doping ban? (video)
Pogba won the 2018 World Cup with France and also played a role in their 2020-21 Nations League triumph. He has 91 caps for Les Bleus, and is also a U-20 World Cup champion.
For club, he won five scudetti with Juventus before moving to Man United, where he won the Europa League and League Cup. He was included in the 2015 UEFA Team of the Year and the 2018-19 PFA Team of the Year.
But injuries plagued his past few seasons. He left United after playing just over 2,000 minutes over the 2021-22 season, and played 10 times for Juve last season before making just two appearances this season.
It’s unlikely that many rational minds will cast aspersions on Pogba’s previous successes, but the 30-year-old whose career has similar highlights to David Beckham and Andrea Pirlo will now be quiet through the end of his prime.
He could return to Italy, play at home in France, or it may be directly to MLS or the Saudi Pro League for Pogba. France’s loaded national team program seems likely to pass him by as well.
And perhaps he’ll retire as well. Pogba has often been a target for irrational criticism for being in the limelight, something often overlooked with players who fit more neatly into a box. It’s a shame that this error — intentionally or not — may signal the end of a singular but mercurial talent’s time in the playing spotlight.
