Was Pogba That Good During his Time in Turin? | OneFootball

When Paul Pogba left Old Trafford for Juventus, many people in the footballing world couldn’t understand why Sir Alex Ferguson would let one of the most talented players in his youth system go. Experienced Manchester United players like Paul Scholes pleaded with the United coaching staff to hang onto to the Frenchman, but Ferguson failed to accept the contract that Pogba’s superagent Mino Raiola had written up. The controversial agent made a deal with Juventus instead, and his spell at Old Trafford was over for the time being.

It is unlike United to let go of talented players, especially those who played in United’s youth system. But Sir Alex Ferguson was not going to be bullied into signing a contract, especially with an agent like Mino Raiola. He felt that these modern-day agents controlled players, and instead of focusing on what is best for players, they were more concerned about the financial aspect instead.

Juventus signed Pogba in 2012 for a small fee, and he went on to spend an incredible four years with the Italian side.

How did the Start of his Juventus Career Go?

When Pogba arrived in Italy, he was far from the finished article. Although his talent was obvious, he needed to learn a lot to become a regular in a team like Juve, who had plenty of superstars at the time.

Pogba’s debut for the club came in a pre-season friendly in early August against Portuguese side Benfica. He played the final twelve minutes of the game when he replaced Andrea Pirlo. He later went on to play his first competitive game for the side against Chievo in Serie A. He impressed on his competitive debut, so the manager decided to play him for the entire game. His first goal for Juventus came in the league tie against Napoli and later scored a late winner against Bologna in the league. After the performance against Bologna, people started to notice the Frenchman. The Juventus fans started to fall in love with his ability and the media in Italy heaped praise on the youngster.

However, there were a few issues Pogba was involved in during the early stages of his Juventus career. During a very important game, Pogba was shown a red card because he spat in the direction of one of his opponents who had slapped him in the face. However, the Frenchman rarely finds himself in trouble nowadays, and many people felt he learned a lot from the situation.

The 2013-14 Season was when the World Took Notice

Although Pogba was only 21 years old at the time, it looked like he had been playing at the top level for several years. He covered a lot of ground while playing on the left side of midfield and was not afraid to help out when his side was without the ball. His dazzling skills and incredible ability to pass a long ball was something Juventus fans enjoyed.

During the Italian Supercoppa final, Juventus locked horns with Lazio. Although the French midfielder didn’t start the game, he was brought on the pitch when Claudio Marchisio sustained an injury during the early stages of the match. Pogba scored the first goal of the final and was awarded Man of the Match at the end of the game. The game was televised all over the world and people started to take notice of his incredible talent. He was later named as the Golden Boy of 2013 for being the best young footballer throughout Europe.

Not only did Pogba become a regular in the side, but he also became one of their key players. He played 51 times for Juventus in the 2013-14 season. He went on to win the Serie A once again and was unlucky not to reach the Europa Cup final after his side was knocked out in the semi-finals. He managed to score nine goals in the season.

2014-15

In the 2013-14 season, Juventus signed another former Manchester United star, Carlos Tevez. Tevez and Sir Alex Ferguson failed to reach an agreement over a new contract, which saw the striker move to United’s bitter rivals Manchester City. The two linked up very well together, and Juventus were building a side that made them one of Europe’s best teams. Massimiliano Allegri had taken over the management role in Turin, and things were looking very positive at the time.

Pogba continued his streak of good form and was later handed a new contract, which didn’t run out until 2019. In early November 2014, Pogba played his 100th game for the club, which he celebrated by scoring in the Champions League against Olympiacos. Not only was it his 100th game for Juve, but it was his first Champions League goal in his career.

By now, Pogba had the world at his feet, and he was on the 23 men shortlist for the 2014 Ballon d’Or. He was the youngest candidate on the list. The side went on to win the domestic league for the fourth time in a row, but they finished the season on a low after Barcelona beat them 3-1 in the final of the Champions League. Lots of folks were betting that Pogba was going to win the Ballon D’or at some stage on gambling sites like gry hazardowe.

His Final Season in Turin

When Carlos Tevez left Juventus, his famous number 10 jersey was up for grabs. At the time there were plenty of players who could have got the jersey, but the manager insisted that it was to be given to Paul Pogba. Some of the greatest players who ever played for Juventus wore the shirt in the past, including Del Piero, Platini, and Juventus and Italian legend Roberto Baggio.

Once again, Pogba played fantastic for the club and he was added to the 2015 Fifa Fifpro World XI. He managed to score 8 goals in the league and 12 assists. He helped the Turin side to win the league once again.

Conclusion

To this day, Paul Pogba is adored by the Juventus fans. Although many of them were upset to see him return to his former club, it was hard for the club owners to decline €105 million. Unfortunately for Pogba, his spell at Old Trafford hasn’t worked out as well as he hoped. Who knows, perhaps a return to Turin is on the cards.