Paul Pogba says he is willing to give up money to play for Juventus again. However, the Serie A club might not be eager to have him back.
Pogba recently had his four-year ban for doping reduced to 18 months after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This means the France World Cup winner can return to his career in March 2025.
Juventus has not shown much excitement about his potential return, but Pogba insists that Juventus is the only team he wants to play for.
“I am ready to even give up money so that I can still play for Juve,” he said in an interview with the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport. “I want to return.”
Juventus’ sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli and new coach Thiago Motta are unsure if Pogba can reach his previous top form after being out for so long since he tested positive for testosterone in August last year.
However, the 31-year-old Pogba, who described feeling like “a caged lion” for the past year, has been training hard alone and is eager to prove them wrong.
“I am a Juve player now. That is all I have in my mind today,” he said. “I don’t have to talk. What I do on the pitch will do my talking, and then Thiago Motta will judge with his own eyes, based on what he sees.”
“Talk is nice, but I want to play and I want to be the best one at Juve and in the France team.”
Since Pogba’s ban, Juventus has changed coaches and strategies.
The club has brought in fresh new talent from its youth team and let go of several older players, including Federico Chiesa, Wojciech Szczęsny, Alex Sandro, and Adrien Rabiot.
Pogba was the most expensive player in history when he joined Manchester United from Juventus for 105 million euros ($113 million) in 2016. He returned to Juventus as a free agent in 2022.
He signed a contract worth eight million euros ($8.7 million) a year, plus two million ($2.2 million) in bonuses, but injuries limited him to only eight Serie A appearances in his second stint at the club before his ban.
The judges who reduced Pogba’s ban recognized that there was no intent to cheat but suggested that the 2018 World Cup winner should have been more careful about his treatment in Florida.
“What I did wrong was not looking at what a professional gave me. I repeat, a professional,” Pogba said. “Like a lot of soccer players, I have a cook, a trainer, and a personal physiotherapist.
“It’s not just about reading the leaflet better; a professional outside the club had given it to me. But I won’t make the same mistake again, that’s for sure.”
Without Pogba, Juventus has done reasonably well. The Bianconeri finished third last season despite calling it a rebuilding year due to issues off the field.
This season, Juventus is the only team still unbeaten in Serie A after seven matches and sits three points behind the early leader, Napoli, going into this weekend’s match against Lazio at home.
“Not everything depends on me, but also on Juve’s plans and how I train,” said Pogba, who also warned his doubters. “I will be a new Pogba: hungrier, wiser, and stronger.”
