THE POGBA PUZZLE

PAUL POGBA’S TALENT HAS NEVER BEEN IN DOUBT, AND HIS MEDAL COLLECTION SPEAKS FOR ITSELF–BUT THERE’S ALWAYS THAT NAGGING SENSE HE MIGHT HAVE HADA WHOLE LOT MORE. COULD EURO 2020 CHANGE EVERYTHING?

- Greg Lea

No footballer on the planet divides opinion quite like Paul Pogba. To those who worship him, he is one of the most gifted players in the world: a true all-around midfielder who excels in every area of the game. To his growing list of detractors, the French ace is a long-time underachiever who has never truly made the most of his undisputed and considerable talents.

First, the facts: Pogba is a World Cup winner, four-time Serie A champion and formerly the world’s most expensive footballer of all time. He remains one of the sport’s most marketable faces and continually coveted by the elite.

And yet the Frenchman has also left those at Manchester United scratching their heads more than once – so much so, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer even dropped him for a short stint in 2020-21, prompting France boss Didier Deschamps to speak out on a bleak situation “where he cannot be happy”. Rumours about an uncertain future refuse to go away, fuelled as they are by an agent who seems keen (and that’s putting it mildly) to move him on.

So, as Les Bleus aim to pocket major honours for the second tournament in a row, there’s still one question swirling: will the real Paul Pogba please stand up?