Paul Pogba has taken a surprising turn into the world of acting while serving his doping suspension.
The Juventus midfielder, 31, was initially given a four-year ban from football following a positive test for DHEA, a substance which elevates testosterone levels, in August 2023. He maintained his innocence and mounted an appeal against the decision.
Earlier this month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted Pogba’s claim of being unaware of the substance’s ingestion and reduced his ban to 18 months. That means he’ll be able to return to football action in March.
In the interim, Pogba has not sat idly by. He’s made his acting debut in the French film ‘4 Zeros’, portraying a youth team football coach, for which the premiere took place at the Pathe Palace in Paris last Tuesday.
After attending with his wife Zulay and family, Pogba took to Instagram to express his joy over his cinematic bow. “Super happy to appear in the movie 4 zero,” he told his 62million followers ahead of its release next year.
While he was buzzing to make a new career venture, Pogba’s focus is firmly set on his football comeback. As per the BBC, he’s set to restart professional training in January.
He feels his reduced punishment is much fairer, telling Sky Sports: “I’m not a cheater. I’m someone that loves my sport, I love the game and I would never, ever cheat. I like to win fairly. I’m a bad loser but I’m not a cheater.
“I take some responsibility because I took the supplement. I didn’t triple-check, let’s say it like that, even if it came from a professional. If I have to be punished, I am fine with it, but it should never be four years.”
Pogba remains contracted with Juventus until June 2026, yet club director Cristiano Giuntoli has made it crystal clear that the former Manchester United star and 2018 World Cup winner doesn’t feature in their plans.
Via DAZN, Giuntoli stated: “Our position is clear. Pogba has been a great player, [but] he has been out for a long time and last year, we were forced to invest in other players. So now the squad is complete as it is.”