Paul Pogba: Tears & troubles in Turin - midfielder's year to forget since Juventus return
On a hot July evening in 2022, a pleasant shiver went down the spine of the Juventus half of Turin. Six years after departing for Manchester United, Paul Pogba announced his return to the city.
For supporters, the so-called 'Pogback' represented the return to a happy past - to the iconic team which won four domestic titles in a row and reached two Champions League finals in 2015 and 2017. The Frenchman starred in the first one, completing a marvellous midfield setup with Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal.
The following day, fans descended on the JMedical centre to welcome Pogba and fellow new arrival, 34-year-old Angel di Maria.
The restoration was complete: boss Massimiliano Allegri and midfielder Pogba would take the club back to European glory, a feat that even Cristiano Ronaldo failed to accomplish.
Despite some daring to say players of that magnitude and age would only come to Juventus to train for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, the sun shone bright on Turin, not just metaphorically.
President Andrea Agnelli was still at the helm, Juventus were flexing their muscles after missing out on consecutive Serie A titles to the Milan clubs, and fans longed for trophies.
Fast forward 12 months and little is left of the ambitions of that summer day.
Pogba's return was a catastrophe from the off.
He injured his right knee two weeks after arriving on a pre-season tour of the USA. Despite being advised to have surgery, in the hope of making the World Cup he instead opted for a non-invasive treatment plan.
It proved a failure. The necessary surgery in September forced him to miss out on Qatar and watch his France team-mates lose the final to Argentina from the stands.
A further muscle strain
Read on bbc.com
