With French superstar Paul Pogba having been handed a four-year ban for doping, the soon-to-be 31-year-old should consider retirement from the sport, writes Lukhanyo Mtuta.
On Thursday, it was confirmed that the France international has been served with a maximum punishment after he tested positive for testosterone back in August 2023. After requesting a re-analysis of his test sample, the results showed that the player did, in fact, consume a banned substance. In his defence, Pogba denied knowingly consuming an illegal substance and refused a plea deal, which would have seen him receive a reduced sentence.
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However, Italy's National Anti-Doping Tribunal accepted the Anti-Doping Prosecutor's Office's request to give the midfielder the harshest possible punishment for his offence. Pogba has also since come out to express his sadness and shock about the decision, and insisted he will appeal his sentence at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Now with the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner set to be 34 years old when he concludes his ban, questions have been raised about whether or not he will make a return to the game after that.
There is no escaping the fact that the playmaker's stock has taken a significant knock over the past two seasons due his lack of playing time as a result of injuries, among other issues. In the event that his appeal is rejected, four years without action is sure to have a devastating impact on his playing career, more especially given that he would be in the twilight years for his profession.
Due to the high demands of European football, it is plausible that not many top clubs, if any, will want to sign him four years later. It is a foreseeable reality that Pogba could, for a lack of a better option, be forced to downgrade and represent a club outside the typical juggernauts. Even more concerning, the 2013 Golden Boy winner remains one of the most influential athletes, and one of adidas' leading footballers, but his commercial deal with the German outfitter is set to expire in 2026. According to SoccerBible, the former Manchester United star signed a 10-year deal with adidas in February 2016 worth a staggering $40 million (R766 million). Therefore, his situation looks grim from a commercial perspective too.
It should also be noted that a lengthy absence from the pitch tends to have dire ramifications for many players, as less interest is often shown in them by clubs, while they also usually need an extended period of playing time to regain their full fitness. A move outside of Europe, perhaps to Saudi Arabia or the United States, could yet be a potential avenue for Pogba, given the two countries' irrefutable reputation for signing aging big-name players.
Pogba's Juventus contract is due to expire in June 2026, and the Italian giants have not yet made any decision regarding the midfielder's future following the ban. It appears, though, that it could be cancelled at the earliest opportunity. Considering all the above... retirement beckons, surely?
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