Pogba Vows To Come Back Stronger After His Contract Termination With Juventus Amid Doping Ban.

Paul Pogba vows to come back stronger as he looks forward to the next phase of his career after his contract was terminated by Juventus on Friday amid his doping offence ban.

Despite being willing to give up money to play for the Italian club again, the French midfielder will leave Juventus on November 30 following the termination of his contract.

He was reportedly consider surplus to requirements in manager Thiago Motta’s squad.

A statement read: “Juventus Football Club and Paul Pogba announce that they have mutually agreed to the termination of the sports performance contract, effective from 30 November 2024.

“The company wishes Paul all the very best for his professional future." said the Turin side.

In February, Pogba was banned for four years for failing a drug test, testing positive for DHEA (a banned substance that raises levels of testosterone), but in October (last month), the ban was reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), starting from his initial provisional ban in September 2023.

CAS judges cut Pogba's ban as they acknowledged a lack of intent and said his positive test was the result of erroneously taking a supplement prescribed to him by a medical doctor in Florida.

Pogba has not played football for a long time (since September 3, 2023), he managed just 162 minutes in five matches in the 2022/23 season and he played a total of 51 minutes as a substitute last year before he was suspended.

Before Pogba's suspension, he was earning £6.9m a year at Juventus under a deal which was due to expire at the end of June 2026.

His salary was later reduced to £2,000 per month, as a result of an agreement reached between Juventus and the players' union.

Reacting to his contract termination, Pogba said ""My time at Juventus has come to an end, It has been a privilege to pull on the shirt of the Bianconeri and to share so many special moments together.

"I cherish the memories we made. They live on.

"Even in the most difficult moments over the past year, your support was crucial and I want to thank Juve fans around the world for their compassion.

"It has been a pleasure to have experienced so many great moments with my teammates over the years and I wish them every success in the future.

"I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career and to stepping out on the pitch with my next club."

The 31-year-old told ESPN after the CAS judgment that he had considered retiring in the immediate aftermath of the initial four-year punishment.

He added that he wanted to prove he still has the talent to perform at the top level and reclaim his spot in Didier Deschamps' France team.

He is now preparing to make a return to football, as he can resume training in January and will be eligible to play again from March, 2025, only that this time, it would for another team.

The World Cup winner, will be free to join a new club in the January transfer window. He is likely to train at Man United’s Carrington training facilities while he waits for a new club. 

Pogba started out at Manchester United before moving to Juventus, where he won Serie A in each of his first four seasons from  2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16.

He also won the Coppa Italia in 2014–15, 2015–16 seasons and the Supercoppa Italiana in 2013, 2015.

He then returned to Old Trafford as the then most expensive player in the world for £89m (€105 million, $113 million) in 2016, and in his first season won the Europa League and the FA Cup.

But many injuries prevented Pogba from doing well in the last three seasons at Man United, which led him to return to Juventus as a free agent in 2022, But injuries limited him to just eight Serie A appearances in his second spell at the club before his ban last year.

Internationally, Pogba played 91 times for France. He helped Les Bleus to 2018 World Cup glory in Russia, scoring in the final as they beat Croatia 4-2.