11 September 2023 , 21:42
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Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba has admitted he weighed up retiring from football following claims he was targeted by an organised gang, alleged to include his brother Mathias.
French international Paul, now 30, left United to return to former club Juventus in July 2022. That same month, he filed a complaint in Turin alleging his brother Mathias was part of a "group-organised extortion attempt" against him, and the midfielder has now spoken out further on the matter.
Mathias Pogba was charged and detained by French prosecutors later that year, in relation to an alleged blackmail plot. The 33-year-old, who played international football for Guinea, has denied the allegations and was released from prison under judicial review in December, while his lawyer Yassine Bouzrou has said his client is innocent
"When there is money you have to be careful," Juventus star Pogba told Al Jazeera. "Money changes people. It can break up a family. It can create a war.
"Sometimes I was just by myself thinking, 'I don't want to have money anymore. I just don't want to play anymore. I just want to be with normal people, so they will love me for me - not for the fame, not for the money.'
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"Sometimes it's tough. Allah helped me - I realised that this life, you have to go through it. It will only make me stronger."
Paul Pogba began his professional career with Manchester United, making his professional debut with the club as an 18-year-old in 2011. However, he played just seven times before leaving for Juventus the following year.
Paul Pogba returned to Juventus in 2022 (ALESSANDRO DI MARCO/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)After four successful seasons in Turin, he returned to Old Trafford in an £89m switch, and is still United's record signing. His second spell had ups and downs, and he ended up leaving for nothing for a second time in 2022.
The midfielder's second Juve spell has also been challenging, with injury problems restricting him to just 10 appearances in his first season with the club. Injuries also hindered his international hopes, with the 2018 World Cup winner missing out on the 2022 edition of the tournament as France reached the final in Qatar, but he returned to play for Les Bleus during the March international break.
Pogba is now facing further difficulties in his football career after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. He has been provisionally suspended and will undergo a second test to determine a definitive result. If that proves to be positive, Pogba could face a ban between two and four years from the game.
Mathias Pogba, meanwhile, had spells in England and Scotland during his own playing career. The forward was most recently on the books of French outfit ASM Belfort, but left the club in the spring of 2022.