Ex-Manchester United star free to play again as ban officially ends | OneFootball

Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba is officially free to play professional football. His ban ended on March 11th. The former French international was eligible to begin training in January after his ban period was reduced to 18 months last September.

Paul Pogba was initially banned for four years, which would have seen him suspended until 2027. The former Juventus star was provisionally suspended from playing after a drug test found elevated levels of testosterone in his system in August 2023. After signing with Juventus at the end of his Manchester United contract in 2022, he struggled significantly with injuries, managing only 162 minutes in his first season back.

In his second season, Pogba was tested after Juventus' first match of the campaign. He was provisionally suspended before the ban was officially imposed. The ban was reduced after Paul Pogba took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where he gave evidence in person at a hearing in the summer of 2024. He previously stated that he would "never knowingly or deliberately" dope and believed the initial verdict was "incorrect." A month after his ban was reduced, Juventus and Pogba reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract.

Paul Pogba joined Manchester United's youth academy in 2009. In February 2011, he was promoted to the first team by Sir Alex Ferguson. He made his Premier League debut the following year in January. Four days later, the Frenchman made his European debut for the club in the UEFA Europa League.

However, at the end of the 2011–12 season, Paul Pogba left for Juventus after deciding not to extend his contract with Manchester United. In Italy, he shined, and his performances prompted Manchester United to bring him back for a then-world record transfer fee of €105 million in 2016.

In his first season back, Paul Pogba won the League Cup and the Europa League. He was also named UEFA Europa League Player of the Season. In the 2018–19 season, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year. Overall, his time in England was mixed, as he was unable to replicate his heroics in Italy. As a result, at the end of his contract, he once again left for Juventus as a free agent after a six-year stay.

On the international stage, the 31-year-old has featured 91 times for France, scoring 11 goals. He was part of the team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and was also part of the squad that secured the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League title.