Paul Pogba: A career destined for the stars that could end as one of the greatest what-if stories in football

Paul Pogba might never play a competitive football game again. The four-year ban for doping, unless he successfully revokes it – an unlikely outcome – would spell doom for a career that could be slotted straightaway into the textbook of cautionary lessons. It’s tragic that a career seemingly destined for the stratosphere could wither away in anonymity, even more tragic when the tragedy is largely self-scripted.

The French midfielder’s career had all the narrative arcs to weave a rags-to riches-and-glory story. The deprived upbringing in a rough quarter of Paris for immigrants; the jaw-dropping skills that crammed Le Havre Academy with scouts; exit and return to Manchester United for a then-record British transfer fee; a World Cup winner at 25, with the author of a stunning goal in the final; multiple-time league winner with Juventus, touted as the heir to Zinedine Zidane; the future bright and sparkling, a potential Ballon d’Or winner. Instead of being a genuine great of the game, this would be one of the greatest what-could-have-been stories with deep layers of intrigue and mystery.

But this is not the standard story of a promising footballer losing himself to the vices and opulence sudden stardom and wealth could bring. As extravagant as his lifestyle was, his was more a case of being lost in his own wealth of talent, his own tussle with his talent. What was his best position on the field? Pogba would struggle to nail it down. Was it on the left of the midfield, which was where he spent his glory years at Juventus? Was it as a box-to-box midfielder? Or a 10? Or a 6 or 8? He could do them all, yet could master none. He had virtues to specialise in each of the roles, blessed with technique and physicality. If only he had persevered, but he chose not to, marvelled by his own talent.

The French midfielder’s career had all the narrative arcs to weave a rags-to riches-and-glory story. (Reuters)

His best has come in the robes of his country. In his doomed stay at Manchester United, the fans lived on the hope and prayer that the Pogba of France would one day appear and transform into their messiah of change. Intermittent dazzle apart, he never influenced games consistently. By the end of his stint, he was seen as the embodiment of the rot that has infested the club.

Victim of circumstances

Here, though, Pogba alone is not to be blamed. Like himself, the managers struggled to nail down a spot for him. Both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to build the team around him, but didn’t know how to channel the best virtues of him. He played in most positions, showed skills in all, yet didn’t make any position his own. Perhaps, the weight of the transfer fee was a burden. He once told Al Jazeera: “Sometimes, I don’t want to have money any more. I just don’t want to play any more. I just want to be with normal people, so they will love me for me – not for the fame, not for the money. Sometimes it’s tough.”

The weight of transforming a decaying club was beyond him. There was mediocrity around. At Juventus, he played alongside Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal. In United, his fellow midfielders were Bastian Schweinsteiger, past his prime, and Morgan Schneiderlin. Pogba felt caged under Mourinho. Solskjaer freed him, but he roamed without direction. Perhaps, he would wonder whether a different manager or a different set of colleagues could have made a difference to his life. His career is riddled with ifs and buts. Perhaps, he didn’t fit into modern football schemes more regimented and structured than flamboyant and individual-centric, especially in the English league. Then he didn’t help himself with his fancy haircuts, posting pictures on Instagram after defeats, or even his carefree attitude after losses. It was as though he didn’t care about the club.

There were too many other distractions that made him page 3 fodder. In March 2022, he was allegedly kidnapped near Paris by masked men bearing M16 assault rifles. They demanded 12 million pounds a year.

Pogba allegedly tried to pay, but the bank blocked the transactions. Four days earlier, he was the victim of a burglary that took place while his two young children were in the house. A few months later, his elder brother Mathias released a video accusing Pogba of having employed a marabout to spell a curse on French teammate Kylian Mbappé. He admitted consulting him but only to ease him off his incessant injuries.

Perhaps it could all be true, or it could be just rumours. Whatever, a great rags-to-riches-and-glory story could end as one of the greatest what-could-have-been-stories. Pogba might never play a competitive game again. Whether the fault was his or the managers’ or his destiny’s, it is indeed tragic and cruel.

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