Paul Labile Pogba (born 15 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays for Italian club Juventus in Serie A. He operates primarily as a central midfielder and is comfortable at playing both in attack and defence.
Pogba was described by his former club Manchester United as a "powerful, skilful, and creative" player who has "an eye for goal and a penchant for the spectacular". In Italy, he gained the nicknames Il Polpo Paul ("Paul the Octopus") for his long legs that look like tentacles during tackling or running and "Pogboom" for his explosive style and energy on the pitch. These characteristics have led him to be compared with former France international Patrick Vieira. He received the Golden Boyaward for 2013, given to the best under-21 player in Europe, followed by the Bravo Award in 2014, awarded to the best under-23 player who has participated in European competitions.
Pogba played internationally for France with the national youth football team, representing his nation at all levels for which he was eligible. With the under-16 team, he captained his nation to victories at the Aegean Cup and the Tournoi du Val-de-Marne and, at under-17 level, played at the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. At under-20 level, he captained his nation to victory at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and took home the Best Player award for his performances during the tournament. He made his debut for the senior French national team on 22 March 2013 in a 3–1 win against Georgia, and scored his first World Cup goal on 30 June 2014 against Nigeria; he was awarded the Best Young Player Award for his performances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, after reaching the quarter-final.
In January 2014, Pogba was named by The Guardian as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe.
Club career
Juventus
On 3 July 2012, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that Pogba had left the club after not signing a new contract. Ferguson stated that Pogba had signed for Italian club Juventus "a long time ago as far as we're aware." Ferguson also accused Pogba of disrespecting Manchester United, saying "It is disappointing. I don't think he showed us any respect at all, to be honest. I'm quite happy that if they (footballers) carry on that way, they're probably better doing it away from us." On 27 July, Juventus confirmed on their official website that Pogba had undergone a medical at the club, and the transfer was completed on 3 August, when he signed a four-year contract. He made his first appearance for Juventus in a pre-season friendly against Benfica in Geneva on 1 August, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute forAndrea Pirlo.
Pogba's first competitive appearance with Juventus came in the Serie A match against Chievo on 22 September 2012, where he played the full 90 minutes. On 2 October, Pogba made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League in a 1-1 home draw against Shakhtar Donetsk, and on 20 October, Pogba scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Napoli. On 31 October, he started against Bologna and scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 victory. Pogba also contributed to the opening goal scored by Fabio Quagliarella. The midfielder was subsequently praised for his performance in the match by several Italian media outlets such as la Repubblica, Il Messaggero, and La Gazzetta dello Sport.
On 19 January 2013, Pogba scored two goals against Udinese. Both goals were scored from outside the box, with one of them being a spectacular 40-yard goal. On 5 May 2013, Pogba was sent off in Juventus' Scudetto clinching game for spitting towards an opponent after being slapped in the face.
On 18 August 2013, Pogba was a key protagonist of Juventus' 4–0 win over Lazio, the match that won Juventus the 2013 Italian Supercoppa. During the match, Pogba replacedClaudio Marchisio and scored the first goal of the game; he was elected "Man of the Match". In December, Pogba was named 2013's Golden Boy for the best young player in Europe.
On 22 December, Paul Pogba scored a goal and contributed to Juventus's 1–4 away win against Atalanta. In January 2014, Pogba was named by The Guardian as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe. On 18 January 2014, Pogba was decisive in Juventus's 4-2 victory over Sampdoria, as he scored and assisted for the team. Three weeks later, Pogba assisted a goal as Juventus drew 2-2 against Verona. On 20 February, Pogba scored his first goal in UEFA club competitions as Juventus defeatedTrabzonspor 2-0 at home in the first leg of the round of 32 of the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League. On 14 April, Pogba produced a beautiful assist in Juventus's 2–0 win overUdinese, the same team that Pogba scored two magnificent goals against in the previous season. Later that week, Pogba scored the only goal in Juventus's 1–0 win overBologna. Pogba was also named the man of the match for his performance. Pogba would finish the season as a key player for the club, breaking into the starting line-up, winning his second consecutive Serie A title under manager Antonio Conte, and reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League.
On 20 September, under new Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, Pogba contributed to Juventus's win against Milan by providing the assist for the only goal of the game, scored by Carlos Tevez. Later that month, on 18 October, Pogba saved Juventus from a defeat against Sassuolo by scoring a decisive equaliser; he was later named man of the match. On 24 October, Pogba renewed his contract with Juventus, tying him to the club until 2019. On 4 November, on his 100th appearance with the club, Pogba scored Juventus's third goal against Olympiacos in the Champions League, helping them to win the match; this was his first ever Champions League goal. On 22 November, he scored his first brace of the season, in a 3-0 win against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. On 28 October, Pogba was named as one of the 23 shortlisted candidates for the 2014 Ballon d'Or; at 21, he was the youngest on the list. In 2014, Pogba was awarded the Bravo Award, by the Italian sports magazine Il Guerin Sportivo, which is awarded to the best under-23 player who has participated in European competitions.
On 11 January 2015, Pogba helped Juventus secure their first win against Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo in 14 years as he scored a stunning volley that helped Juventus beat Napoli 3-1. On 15 January, he scored his first goal in the Coppa Italia as Juventus defeated Verona 6-1 in the round of 16 of the tournament. On March 9, Pogba scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Sassuolo to put Juventus 11 points clear of Roma at the top of the table. In the second leg of Juventus's round of 16 match-up against Borussia Dortmund, Pogba was taken off during the first half after injuring his hamstring, and was later ruled out for two months. He returned to the starting line-up on 9 May, scoring in a 1-1 home draw against Cagliari, as Juventus celebrated winning their fourth consecutive Serie A title since 2012. On 13 May, Pogba set up Alvaro Morata's equaliser against Real Madrid, in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final; the goal allowed Juventus win the tie 3-2 on aggregate to advance to the Champions League Final for the first time in 12 years. On 20 May, Pogba set up Juventus's first goal as they defeated Lazio 2–1 at the Stadio Olimpico in the 2015 Coppa Italia Final.
On 6 June 2015, Pogba started for Juventus in the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final as La Vecchia Signora was defeated 3–1 by FC Barcelona at Berlin's Olympiastadion.
International career
On 22 March 2013, Pogba made his debut for the French senior team in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Georgia. He played the full 90 minutes in a 3–1 win. Pogba then earned his second cap four days later in another 2014 World Cup qualifier against Spain. Pogba started this match against the world champions, but picked up a yellow card in the 76th minute for unsporting behaviour, before then being sent off two minutes later for a second bookable offence. He scored his first international goal against Belarus on 10 September 2013, once again during a 2014 World Cup qualifier.
On 6 June 2014, Pogba was named in France's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On 15 June, he started in central midfield in the team's first World Cup fixture – a 3–0 victory over Honduras – suffering a foul from Wilson Palacios which led to a red card for the Honduran and a penalty kick, which was converted by Karim Benzema to give France the lead. He appeared as a substitute in the team's second match, assisting a goal for Benzema in a 5–2 victory of Switzerland. In the round of 16, Pogba scored a 79th minute opening goal and was named man of the match by FIFA as Les Bleus defeated Nigeria 2–0 in Brasília.
source: wikipedia
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