Arms crossed, proud gaze and chest out, Paul Pogba becomes the hero of the Blues for a moment, after his formidable goal against Switzerland.
It was more than three years ago, in Bucharest, in the round of 16 of the European Nations Championship.
That evening, the French team finally lost on penalties, and since then, Paul Pogba's career has seemed like a long descent into hell.
With the culmination of his four-year suspension, pronounced by the Italian anti-doping court this Thursday.
The world champion, in 2018 with the French selection, tested positive for testosterone last August.
Although he is 30 years old (he will be 31 on March 15), the rest of his career is now uncertain.
This is also marred by a terrible intra-family conflict.
Here is the timeline of the last three years.
June 28, 2021: France collapses despite Pogba
The France team qualified for the round of 16 of Euro 2021 but is struggling to convince.
In the group stage, they won against Germany (1-0), beat Hungary (1-1) and held on to Portugal (2-2).
However, if some executives disappoint, Paul Pogba is resplendent.
The midfielder is in sparkling form and orchestrates the French offensives in a more remote role than usual.
The team coached by Didier Deschamps is very dependent on the inspirations of the boy who then played for Manchester United.
🇫🇷 A moment of brilliance from Paul Pogba 🤩@paulpogba |
@FrenchTeam |
#FlashbackFriday pic.twitter.com/I7vnl0qOBs
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) February 24, 2023
For its first direct elimination match in the competition, France is struggling against Switzerland.
Trailing 1 to 0, they managed to take the advantage thanks to a double from Karim Benzema.
Then comes the inspiration of Paul Pogba, 15 minutes from the end of the game.
The midfielder lands a sublime right-footed shot into the top corner, and gives the Blues a two-goal lead (75th, 3-1).
Everything seems done for the reigning world champions, who already see themselves in the quarter-finals.
But Deschamps and his gang collapse.
They conceded two goals in the last ten minutes of regulation time then lost on penalties (3-3, 5-4 on the tab).
March 29, 2022: last match in blue then departure from Manchester
After the Euro, Paul Pogba returns to his club for a new Premier League season.
Recruited at a high price by Manchester United in 2016, after a first stint in his youth (2009-2011), the Frenchman lacks consistency.
If, at times, he reaches a level close to that which he had at Juventus (2011-2016), the midfielder also suffers from a series of injuries.
The last season of “La Pioche” with the Red Devils is undermined by physical problems.
The Mancunian takes part in only 20 league matches.
Added to this are a cup match and six Champions League matches.
On March 29, 2022, in Lille, he played what remains to this day the last match of his career with the France team (a 5-0 victory against South Africa).
At the beginning of June, Manchester United made a decision regarding the player's future: his contract would not be renewed and he would leave the club, free, at the end of the month.
End of 2022: marabout, extortion and missed World Cup
After his comeback at Manchester United in 2016, Paul Pogba once again decided to reunite with an ex.
He signed for Juventus with a left knee injury and is looking to get back on track.
The World Cup in Qatar begins in November and the French international does not want to miss the train.
It got off to a bad start since in September 2022, his club announced that the midfielder would undergo surgery.
The race against time to participate in the World Cup is delicate.
Also read Pogba affair: “Money has spoiled the friendship and fraternity between everyone”, regrets the mother of Paul and Mathias
Above all, in August, an investigation into attempted extortion by an organized gang was opened.
Paul Pogba's older brother, Mathias, was placed in pre-trial detention in September.
The latter, accompanied by four other people, allegedly put pressure on the midfielder to extract 13 million euros from him.
The 2018 world champion would even have been kidnapped on the night of March 19 to 20, 2022. Released in December, Mathias Pogba had published a video in which he scolded his brother, a few months earlier.
He accused him in particular of having hired a marabout to harm Kylian Mbappé.
What Paul Pogba firmly denied.
The Juve player, still injured and trapped in this legal whirlwind, misses the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He only plays a few matches with his club and ends the 2022-2023 financial year with 161 minutes spent on the pitch.
September 11, 2023: suspension after doping test
Paul Pogba's career has been seriously wavering for more than a year, between sporting, physical and legal problems.
But a new affair breaks out: in September 2023, Juventus temporarily suspends its midfielder.
He reportedly tested positive for testosterone during an anti-doping test that took place a month earlier on the sidelines of a match against Udinese.
Last December, the prosecution imposed a sentence of four years without playing for the midfielder.
This was validated this Thursday, as his club confirmed to AFP: “We received notification from the court this morning.
» Paul Pogba's entourage indicates that he intends to appeal.
Read also From brilliant world champion to his positive test: Paul Pogba, anatomy of a fall
Almost 31 years old, the player with 91 caps in blue, one of the pillars of the Didier Deschamps era, sees his end of career seriously compromised.
He has had one setback for several years and has not played a single match since September 3, during a 2-0 victory for Juventus at Empoli.