The Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba speak to gazzetta.it of the last very difficult months, which he spent away from the field due to the disqualification imposed on him for doping: “It was a very difficult year, the thing that hurt me the most was spending every day in front of the stadium and the Continassa to accompany the my children at school without being able to come and train or play with Juventus. I felt like a caged lion. At a certain point I wanted to leave Italy with my family because this situation hurt my heart too much.”
Months later and after this whole affair, have you understood the reason that pushed you to take the offending supplement?
“The wrong thing was not to look at what a professional gave me. I repeat: a professional. Like many players, I have a chef, a trainer and a personal physiotherapist, Manchester has always been like that too. It’s not a question of reading the label better, a professional outside the club gave it to me. But I won’t do the same thing again, that’s for sure.”
Do you regret the divorce from Juventus in 2016, the return to Juventus in 2022 or not having undergone meniscus surgery immediately at the start of your second adventure?
“I didn’t decide on my own not to have surgery, no one in a big club chooses individually. We took that path as a group and the doctors said it could also be done. I don’t regret anything, life is like that.”
When he left Juventus in 2016, he gave luxury watches to his teammates and staff. Now, in case of goodbye again, would you do it again?
“Today I don’t want to think about leaving and saying goodbye to Juve. In my first experience with Juventus I had won titles and had arrived to play for France, I was young. I felt in my heart that I had to make this gesture of the watches. The most amazed were the warehouse workers.”