Paul Pogba "sad, shocked and heartbroken" by four-year doping suspension

Earlier on Thursday, the French World Cup winner was given the maximum penalty after non-endogenous testosterone was found in his system during a random drugs test on August 20.

Pogba first failed doping test came after Juventus' win over Udinese on the opening weekend of the Serie A season, after which he came off the bench in clashes with Bologna and Empoli.

During the September international break, news of Pogba's elevated testosterone levels first came to light, and the midfielder was provisionally suspended by Italy's National Anti-Doping Tribunal.

A second sample confirmed the abnormal levels of the hormone, although Pogba's agent Rafaela Pimenta affirmed that the former Manchester United man would never intentionally violate anti-doping policies.

Pogba has remained suspended over the last few months while prosecutors sought a maximum four-year ban for the Frenchman, who will not be eligible to return to competitive action until September 2027, taking into account the time he has already spent out of action.

Pogba — who will be 34 by the time his ban is lifted — confirmed the news on his Instagram page, saying in a story that he had «never knowingly or deliberately» taken a banned substance and would go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to appeal his suspension.

«I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping's decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect,» the 30-year-old wrote. «I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.

»When I am free