“I would have quit football” - Ex-Manchester United star Paul Pogba opens up on how he came close to surprise retirement

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has opened up about how his doping suspension forced him to consider retiring from professional football. The Frenchman was handed a four-year ban in 2023 after he tested positive for a banned substance, before a lengthy appeal process saw his sentence reduced.

The midfielder has served his 18-month ban and became eligible for a return to action in March 2025. During a recent interview with GQ France, he revealed that he was considering retirement if his sentence was not reduced. He said (via GOAL):

"If they'd given me four years, I would have quit football. I didn't want to say it publicly but that's what I was thinking. I didn’t understand. Why? They handed down the maximum sentence. That meant they hadn’t listened to a single thing I’d said. I saw what real life is. It worked on me like a full reset. I aged ten years in one go.”

Pogba started the 2023-24 season with Juventus before testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone after a game against Udinese in August. The 32-year-old was quickly slapped with a four-year ban from all football before his appeal earned him a reprieve last October. His sentence was reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sports after he was declared to have unintentionally ingested the substance.

Paul Pogba is a free agent, having had his contract with Juventus mutually terminated earlier in the 2024-25 season. The former Manchester United midfielder has been linked with several clubs in Europe, the MLS, and Saudi Arabia.

Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba reveals national team hopes

Ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has revealed that he harbours dreams of a return to the France national team. The 32-year-old has not played professional football for nearly two years due to his 18-month ban.

Pogba spoke with GQ France about his travails over the last year and a half, and was asked about a potential return to Les Bleus. The former Juventus man replied that it all depended on his level after his return to club action, citing examples of N'Golo Kante and Andre-Pierre Gignac.

“Firstly, I have to get back into my rhythm. It’s not really the club that matters in the national team. André-Pierre Gignac was in the squad while playing in Mexico. N’Golo Kanté has returned while in Saudi Arabia. It depends on me,” he said.

Paul Pogba was pivotal to the France squad that won the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018, scoring in the final. He missed out on France squad for the 2022 edition of the tournament in Qatar, having undergone knee surgery before the competition.