Paul Pogba opened up about his difficult year at Juventus, his various injury troubles and the issues of racism in football in a long and honest interview.
The 30-year-old started his second spell in Turin last summer, joining on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with Manchester United. Things went wrong almost immediately for the Frenchman, who suffered a knee injury during the pre-season tour in the United States.
After undergoing an operation in September, Pogba was forced out of action until late February. He made a few appearances before suffering a muscle issue in training. He overcame this and returned in May, but then was forced to end his season early due to a hamstring problem.
Speaking to French outlet Views, Pogba first discussed how he reacts to negative criticism based on his flashy style, celebrations and haircuts.
“Me, I’m thinking more of the positive criticism, because there will always be quite negative ones. But I don’t think about that. Today, I’m a professional footballer because I played that football and it’s that football that brought me to where I am today.
“Critics will always be there. Me, I think more of the people who watch me and who are happy to see me play, rather than the people who criticize me. I don’t need this.
“I know when I had a good game, when I had a bad game. The pleasure will always remain rooted in me and that’s why I play football. That’s also why, I think, people come to watch the matches.”
He spoke about some players who helped him during his career.
“Already Patrice Evra, uncle Pat’, who has always helped me and who was there at Manchester United. He always gave me very good advice. I also had Nicolas Anelka when I was at Juve who gave me advice on my career.
“When you see their career, you tell yourself that you can only listen to them and learn from them. There was also Rio Ferdinand. I was lucky to be with great players who were really my big brothers in football and who helped me grow and gain experience quite early.”
Pogba was asked how it felt to provide an assist against Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals – the interview was carried out the day after this match.
“Frankly, I’m telling the truth, it’s since my return to the pitch that I feel really good. For me, playing football is what I like the most. Just be healthy and play, that’s all I ask.
“Whether it’s being decisive or not, just getting back on the pitch and being good, getting to 100% and helping my team, that’s all I ask. And that’s all I can do. Help my teammates to score, to be decisive.”
The Frenchman commented on his various injury troubles this season.
“It’s a great experience for me, it can only be beneficial for me in the future. I changed club, I had injuries. It is true that it was complicated, even outside of football. But I learned that the things that were important to me were health, playing football and family and really focusing on that.
“Returning to the pitch with health is important for everyone and especially for us athletes. My body is my work tool and the biggest luxury you can have in life is health.”
He touched on the impact of his struggles both on and off the pitch.
“They made me grow a lot. These last few months have made me grow enormously, they have made me understand many things about life. I aged ten years! I aged ten years in seven months. And as I said, it can only be more for me, because I take it positively.
“I am a believer so these are stages and tests. Tests that made me grow, where I matured and learned a lot about life. I learned what the important things were. So, I took them really positively and they were a boost for me. And there, today, frankly, all that is behind me. They really forged me.”
The Juventus midfielder was asked if the media furore surrounding him had an impact on his physical health.
“Ah, totally of course. Already the head, it controls everything. When you are not well in the head, the body follows. Even if you say ‘yeah, it’s going to be fine’, you are a football player, it’s good. Your body is really taking.
“And so, all these injuries that happened, I think the basis of it all was my head. Really, that’s been my head.
“And afterwards, when I realized all that, when I knew it was only my head, only my body, it really reacted to all these problems outside of football, on football, the thoughts, I was stressed, my body was tense.
“And I wanted so much to come back quickly, to play and show people, to shut everyone up a bit. Well actually it kind of kicked my ass and that’s why I took a step back and thought about myself and my well-being. It was rest, resume quietly.
“There, if you look, five or six months ago, what was the criticism we were hearing? After the decisive pass in yesterday’s match, there was praise that you heard well. It’s like that, the world is like that.
“So, I always stay positive. I want to make people happy. And especially me on the pitch, having fun. And that’s what I’ve been doing since I came back from injury.”
He suggested that this season was the toughest of his career.
“Yeah! Already changed clubs. Come back here. The wounds. Non-sporting problems. Ah, sure, that was the biggest test.
“I would even say that it was the biggest test of my life. After passing all that, it will be my greatest victory. That’s how I see it, after when you pass this, you’re ready for anything.”
Pogba discussed the issue of racism in football and how he deals with it.
“Yeah, yeah, but actually, we’ve already won. Black people have already won. How many years were we slaves? Today we play football. We take buses. We have cars. We are recognized all over the world. For me, that’s a win.
“All these people are ignorant, they are comments from ignorant people who want to affect or hurt whoever the individual is, whether it is an athlete or not.
“Me, the advice I can give to black people or even people of colour, all the people who have received racist remarks is: they try to hurt you and it’s the weak who do that. We have already won.
“Today look: you are black, you do your interview, do you think that the years when we were slaves, it would’ve been possible? Never!
“Today we won. Black people, we are there and they can’t do anything. It’s like that. Me, my victory, what is it? It’s when I see white kids wearing my shirt, asking for autographs, asking for pictures. Me, that’s my victory. It stops there.
“You can be racist as you want, I have nothing against them, I have nothing against anyone. And frankly, my wish, my belief, is to change the hearts of these people by playing football.
“It is to change the mentality of these people. There will be racist remarks all the time, whether it’s white or whether it’s black. Because we are in Europe, but it can also be the opposite.
“It’s a victory for me to play football, to play for Juventus, in Italy and to be recognized all over the world. There will always be racists and you can’t change that. Because you can’t change what someone thinks.
“Because you can’t change the ignorant. And there are a lot of hidden racists. They are silent, they say nothing, but they are racist all the same. So those words really haven’t touched me for a long time.
“My father told me ‘You always have to work hard and never give up. Work, work and work to go where you want’. That’s what I did, and my victory is that: seeing white children wearing my shirt.”
Pogba was asked if footballing institutions were doing enough to combat racism and if leaving the pitch was the right response.
“No, because you can’t change the ignorant. It’s a source of pride, I see it in victory, they came to the stadium to support their team, but they insult you. Have you seen how you affect them? Did you see your victory?
“They are thinking about you instead of thinking about their team and supporting their team. You’re the one they want to affect, because you’re dangerous. We are dangerous and for me, it’s victory.
“If they really wanted to change something, they would have done it a long time ago, before we were even born! But that’s how it is, you’re not going to change people.
“If people, when they come to the stadium to support their team, manage to insult you, say ‘dirty black’ or throw bananas at you, it’s because you’ve won, it’s because you affect them. It’s that you’re dangerous, it’s that they think of you instead of their team. And it is a victory.”
He remembered an incident in a match against Fiorentina.
“I’ll tell you an anecdote. I was in Italy, we played against Fiorentina. They did monkey chants. I looked at them, I took off my shirt, I gave it a little one, they all applauded me. Do you see that? In fact, it’s ignorance, they want to affect you. That doesn’t mean they’re racist.
“Maybe they are jealous or is there something else? They all cheered me on at Fiorentina, it wasn’t even at my stadium. I touched the hearts of Fiorentina fans, racist people.
“Me, that’s my victory, so I’m not even going to fight. Why are you going to fight? To change people’s mentality? No, it’s the actions that speak and it’s with this action that they changed directly, in two seconds.”
Finally, Pogba discussed his curious changes in clubs – from Manchester United to Juventus to back to the Red Devils before heading back to Turin.
“When I left Manchester United, I was young. And when you’re young, you want to prove something. I came to Juve, it was a big test for me. But I immediately saw the love of the supporters, I saw the love of the club. I really liked how they worked and learned a lot.
“I went back to Manchester because I hadn’t finished my work there. I said to myself ‘I really want to play with the A team’. I did it and it was a goal achieved for me. We have already won, not the Premier League, but titles that Manchester United have not won for a long time.
“And I came back to Juve, why? Because they’re really the club that helped me push myself. And really the love from the fans, the love from the club that I get, I didn’t get that in Manchester.
“I was quite surprised when I came back to England, already with the transfer I was given a label. It was quite sad.
“But they’re two clubs that I really love, that made me grow and I can only say thank you to these two clubs. Maybe I could have gone to other clubs, but it was my heart that chose those clubs and I often follow my heart.”