Pogba: 'I feel like I've aged 10 years in the last seven months'

In French newspaper Views, midfielder Paul Pogba talks about his moves from Man Utd to Juventus, and how he overcame his nightmare injury-plagued season.

"When I first left Manchester, I was young. And when you're young, you want to prove something," Pogba said. "I went to Juventus and it was a big challenge. But immediately I saw the love of the fans and the club. I really liked the way they worked and learned a lot. I came back to Manchester because I hadn't finished my work there. I wanted to play for the first team and I achieved that. We didn't win the Premier League, but we won a lot of trophies that the club hadn't won for a long time."

Pogba celebrates the Europa League trophy with Man Utd in 2017. He is satisfied with the success he has achieved when returning to the "Red Devils" after a period of time at Juventus to mature. Photo: Reuters

Born in 1993, Pogba is considered a generational talent. At the age of 16, he joined the Man Utd academy from Le Havre and began to make a splash when he played in both legs of the 2011 final against Sheffield United, helping Man Utd win the Youth Cup for the tenth time - a tournament organized by the Football Association (FA) for players under the age of 18. The following season, Pogba made his first-team debut under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, in a 3-0 win at Leeds United in the English League Cup.

However, unable to compete for a place at Old Trafford, Pogba left for Juventus on a free transfer in the summer of 2012. In fact, the Italian team had to pay Man Utd nearly $2.5 million in training fees. During his four years in Turin, Pogba made remarkable progress, scoring 28 goals in 124 matches, helping Juventus win four Serie A titles, two Italian Cups, two Italian Super Cups and finish runner-up in the 2015 Champions League. At Euro 2016, Pogba and the French team reached the final match at home, losing 0-1 to Portugal.

In 2016, Man Utd spent a record $131 million to bring Pogba back to Old Trafford, breaking the record $111 million that Real paid Tottenham in 2013 for Gareth Bale. Over the past six years, the French midfielder has scored 39 goals and assisted 51 goals, helping Man Utd win the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League in the 2016-2017 season, under Jose Mourinho.

But in the final stages, his relationship with the team was tense. In the summer of 2022, Pogba left Man Utd to return to Juventus as a free agent. He only received $8.5 million in salary per season at Juventus, less than half of what he earned when playing at Old Trafford.

Pogba said he did not receive the same support from Man Utd fans as he did at Juventus, and returned to Turin to rediscover his love for football. "Why did I return to Juventus? Because it was the club that helped me push myself," the 30-year-old midfielder said. "And I received love from the fans and the club, which I did not receive in Manchester. I was quite surprised when I returned to England, immediately after the transfer, I was labelled negatively. That was quite sad."

However, Pogba affirmed that he loves both Man Utd and Juventus, as these are the two clubs that helped him grow up. "Maybe I went to other clubs, but my heart chose Man Utd and Juventus. And usually I follow what my heart tells me," he said.

Pogba returned to Juventus with high expectations, but in fact had the worst season of his career. He injured his right knee cartilage in pre-season, had surgery, missed the 2022 World Cup and did not return until February 2023. After a few appearances from the bench, the French midfielder injured a muscle in a training session and was out for a month. In May, Pogba ended his season early due to a hamstring problem. In total, he had just one assist in 10 games in all competitions, with 161 minutes on the pitch.

Pogba lies on the back after being tackled in the Europa League last season. Photo: AFP

"Last season was probably the most difficult season of my career, I felt like I aged 10 years in the last seven months," Pogba added. According to the 30-year-old midfielder, mental problems were the main reason why he was constantly injured, but he saw these as stages and tests for himself to mature significantly, learn many things about life, what is important.

Asked about criticism of his flashy style, partying and focus on his appearance with new hairstyles, Pogba replied: "I think more about the positive criticism, because there will always be negative criticism. I became a professional because of my own style of play, and that football has brought me to where I am now. I think more about the people who enjoy watching me, rather than the people who criticise me. I know when I play well, when I play badly. The enjoyment will always come from me and that's why I play football. That's why, I think, people come to watch the games."

Hong Duy

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