France international of Guinean heritage, Paul Pogba, says he would have quit playing football had his four-year anti-doping suspension been upheld.
The former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder was given a four-year ban as a result of a failed doping test that took place in August of 2023, after an away match against Udinese in Serie A.
Pogba was forced to train away from the club’s training centre, and eventually had his contract terminated by the Serie A side in November 2024.
The suspension was later reduced, and Pogba has been allowed to return to competitive football since March 2025.
Speaking in an interview with GQ France, Pogba revealed: “I would have quit football had I taken four years. I didn’t want to say it publicly, but that’s what I thought.”
Describing what life was like training away from Continassa while his teammates carried on as normal, he added: “I took the ball and played outside, alone. I made do with what I had. But I didn’t want to stay in Turin. The next morning, I dropped my children off at school, which was right next to the training centre, what a pain …”
And, describing his initial reaction after learning of his four-year suspension, Pogba said: “I didn’t understand. What for? They gave me the maximum sentence, which meant that they didn’t really listen to what I’d told them.”
Pogba’s suspension was later reduced, and he became eligible to play competitively again at the beginning of 2025.
