Tested positive for testosterone metabolites on September 11, 2023, after a match against Udinese (where he did not even come on), Paul Pogba saw his career come to an abrupt end on February 29, 2024. Suspended for four years, the French midfielder was then announced to retire. Between the ban on training with his club and a return scheduled for September 2027, few people saw him coming back.
But the Pogba clan quickly appealed and last month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) finally agreed to reduce its sanction to eighteen months. Consequence: Pogba will be able to play again from March 2025. He will then be 32 years old. An XXL announcement applauded with both hands in France, and in particular on the social networks of the French team. Except that in Turin, it wasn’t the same atmosphere.
Juve didn’t want it anymore
Quickly, the local media mainly reported a desire by the Bianconeri leaders to terminate the contract binding the two parties until 2026. And today, it is done. “Juventus Football Club and Paul Pogba announce that they have mutually agreed to terminate the sports performance contract, effective November 30, 2024. The company wishes Paul all the best for his professional future”specifies the press release from the Turin club.
This outcome is not a surprise. Happy to be able to make his comeback on the green rectangle, Pogba was clearly not against the idea of restarting his career elsewhere. Finally, for its part, Juventus no longer wanted to assume the imposing salary of a player who had not been very exciting since his return to Piedmont in 2022 (12 matches, 1 assist). Indeed, with the end of his suspension, Pogba would regain his annual €8 million. This separation therefore suits everyone. It now remains to be seen where the 2018 world champion, whose name is circulating in MLS, in Saudi Arabia, as well as in the Premier League, will bounce back.
