Following an 18-month suspension due to doping allegations, Paul Pogba (31 years old) is officially eligible to play football again starting this Tuesday. However, the question of which team he will join remains a significant mystery.
It appears that the 2018 World Cup winner with France has several options available. His current career goals are a major point of speculation.
Olympique de Marseille is among the prominent French clubs mentioned in connection with the former Juventus and Manchester United midfielder. Pogba has never played professionally in France at the senior level, having previously been part of youth setups at Le Havre AC, Torcy, and Roissy-en-Brie. Moves to Major League Soccer or even Japan are also possibilities.
As a four-time Serie A champion with Juve, Pogba seems to desire to play for a club that will allow him to gain the attention of French national team coach Didier Deschamps in anticipation of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In October, Pogba stated, “I must deserve my place,” in reference to potentially rejoining the national team. He was absent from the 2022 World Cup for France due to injury.
While playing in Europe seems like a strong possibility, N’Golo Kanté’s (33 years old) inclusion in the Euro 2024 squad suggests that playing in Europe isn’t essential to be noticed by Deschamps.
MLS clubs are permitted to sign new players until April 23rd. Meanwhile, the Japanese league’s signing window is open until March 26th, and Pogba made a positive impression during a visit to Japan in 2019, where he was seen playing football with sumo wrestlers.