Paul Pogba’s time at Juventus has come to an end, as the Serie A club confirmed on Friday that his contract had been terminated, despite his doping ban being reduced to 18 months on appeal.
Pogba, who had been banned for four years by the Italian anti-doping authority (NADO), saw that sentence cut by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) last month. He will now be eligible to return to competitive football in March. However, Juventus have opted to part ways with the 31-year-old midfielder, whose return to Turin from Manchester United in 2022 was marred by a series of setbacks both on and off the field.
In a statement, Juventus confirmed that they and Pogba “have reached a mutual agreement for the termination of their contract as of November 30, 2024.” Pogba’s original deal had been set to run until 2026.
Pogba expressed his gratitude to the club and fans in a heartfelt message on social media: “You gave me a lot, more than what I could ever say, and I’ll always keep with me the love you showed me. You’ll always be in my heart. Good luck.”
Earlier in October, Pogba had publicly stated that he was “willing to give up money to be able to play again with Juve,” but his appeal appeared to fall on deaf ears at the club. Juventus’ decision comes as no surprise, with both coach Thiago Motta and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli having referred to Pogba in the past tense, noting that he “was a great player.”
Pogba, who won the 2018 World Cup with France, made just one start in his second stint at Juventus after rejoining the club in the summer of 2022. His return was plagued by injuries, and he last played for the club in September 2023 during a match against Empoli. This was shortly before he was provisionally suspended for testing positive for testosterone, following Juventus’ opening Serie A match of the season, a 3-0 win at Udinese in which he did not feature.
After his provisional suspension, Pogba was handed a four-year ban by NADO in February, which threatened to end his career. However, CAS reduced the ban, accepting Pogba’s argument that the failed test was due to mistakenly taking a supplement prescribed by a doctor in Florida. While CAS acknowledged Pogba’s fault, it emphasized that as a professional athlete, he should have taken greater care in managing his supplements.
In the 2022-23 season, Pogba made just 10 appearances for Juventus, hindered by a knee injury that also kept him out of the World Cup, where France were defeated by Argentina in the final. Off the pitch, Pogba was also involved in a high-profile extortion case, with six men, including his brother Mathias, facing trial over the incident.
With Pogba sidelined, Juventus underwent a managerial change, moving from Massimiliano Allegri to Motta, and made significant moves in the transfer market, spending over 120 million euros on midfielders Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, and Khephren Thuram. Despite Pogba’s absence, Juventus finished third in Serie A last season and are currently sixth, just two points behind league leaders Napoli. They will face AC Milan at the San Siro after the international break.
