SUMMARY
- Jose Mourinho led Manchester United from 2016 until 2018, winning three major trophies.
- The Portuguese coach recently about his time at United.
Manchester United fans will be aware of how the news of Paul Pogba’s comeback shocked the world. The club let the French midfielder leave on a free transfer to Juventus, where he made a name for himself as one of the best players in the world. To this day, Pogba’s time with the Italian club remains as a display of pure magic and talent.
POGBA
6#POGBACK pic.twitter.com/J8zPNn3Y2N
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 9, 2016
The Red Devils surprisingly signed Pogba for $116 million (105 million euros) which left the soccer community baffled. Although a player who puts up performances like Pogba did in the past will be valued more in the current day, United’s decision to break the bank for a player whom they let go of for free was shocking. Regardless, PP was considered to be the answer to all of United’s problems at the time.
He had a decent start in the first season, winning the Europa League and the League club. The midfielder also scored against Ajax in the UEL final that year. For a player who seemed like had all the talent in the world, where did it go wrong for Pogba? Jose Mourinho, the former manager of Pogba, and the man who helped him to lift the UEL trophy has a unique take on it.
Jose Mourinho speaks about Paul Pogba’s downfall
Jose Mourinho said to The Telegraph, “The only thing I say is that it happens with almost everybody in some moments of your career. You lose a little bit of the sense of who you are and what you have to be. The season after France won the World Cup, I think Paul came back different. The World Cup brought him into a different dimension where football was not the most important thing for him. Sharing the philosophy of everyone; everyone with the same level of responsibilities.”
🚨🚨🎙️| José Mourinho: “The season after France won the World Cup, I think Paul [Pogba] came back different. The World Cup took him to a dimension where football was not the most important thing to him.” pic.twitter.com/NoOxsFu99O
— centredevils. (@centredevils) April 22, 2024
We can conclude that Mourinho’s comments are completely valid. There have been plenty of players who had given up on the beautiful game after they won a major trophy, and they have struggled to make a comeback. The same could be the case with Pogba, who won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France. He also scored a left-foot finish from distance against Croatia in the World Cup final.
The player always thrived with France, and fans wondered whether it was the surroundings at United that kept him in the same spot for years. However, Mourinho believes that Pogba’s hunger to win in soccer could have changed with the World Cup final.
Where is Paul Pogba now?
The former United midfielder is now suspended for four years by Italy’s anti-doping entity. The B sample confirmed that the player tested positive for increased levels of testosterone which was not natural. Pogba mentioned after the news broke out that he would be appealing the decision, as he continues to plead his innocence.
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba was banned for the maximum penalty of four years by Italy’s anti-doping court on Thursday after the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone. pic.twitter.com/mHWt8cq6Ho
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) February 29, 2024
It is heartbreaking to witness one of the biggest talents in soccer go to waste. Pogba was one of the greatest passers during his time with United and often showed glimpses of what he was able to do. His precise long passes and his defense-splitting passes were something that not many others could pull off. Fans will be hoping that PP returns to the field soon, and replicates the magic he displayed back in the day.