Juventus Officially Confirm Return Of Paul Pogba In 293-Word Announcement

Paul Pogba left Juventus as a "boy" in 2016 but he has returned from Manchester United as a "man and a champion", according to a 293-word statement.
Juventus Officially Confirm Return Of Paul Pogba In 293-Word Announcement
Juventus Officially Confirm Return Of Paul Pogba In 293-Word Announcement /

Paul Pogba left Juventus as a "boy" in 2016 but he has returned to his former club as a "man and a champion".

That is according to a 293-word statement made by Juventus on Monday to officially announce the midfielder's arrival on a free transfer.

Pogba, 29, re-signed for Juve after his contract with Manchester United expired at the end of June.

Juve's statement in full read: "When we say goodbye, after a wonderful adventure lived together, in a corner of the heart there is always a little hope of seeing each other again, sooner or later.  

"With Paul it was just like that. In 2016 our paths separated after 4 incredible years. Years in which that talented young French boy of less than 20 years made his debut in the First Team, and after less than a month he scored his first goal. Years in which we had learned to hold our breath every time we saw him load the shot from outside: we knew how it could end, and often ended in a roar of joy (to be precise, from outside the area, Paul scored 14 times in 4 seasons of Serie A, more than any Juventus like Pjanic).

"Years in which Pogba became a crazy champion, winning a lot in the black and white jersey, touching the Champions League in 2015, providing 12 assists only in his last season in Turin, leaving with a loot of 34 markings, to which to add the beauty of 32 assists, for a total of 66 goals that saw him protagonist.

"Then we said goodbye, and in the meantime he consecrated his talent and his power, also becoming World Champion with France in 2018.

"We said goodbye, but we never really forgot: there is something ancestral in the call of home, that something that in the end, after a thousand adventures, makes you come back.

"Paul is back in Turin, he left as a boy, he returns to be a man and a champion, but there is one thing that has not changed: the desire to write other new unforgettable pages, together.

"We couldn't be happier: Pogba is back with us."

Despite Juve's comment about Pogba returning as a champion, he actually only won two trophies at United in six years, having won eight in the previous four seasons in Turin.

But Pogba won soccer's greatest prize of all with France in 2018 when he starred in a 4-2 win over Croatia in the FIFA World Cup final.

Pogba's performances for France over the past six years have generally been better than those he produced at Old Trafford.

Nevertheless, United had been keen to keep him but Pogba rejected multiple contract offers.

Pogba now appears to be focusing firmly on the future, rather than his past at United.

He refused to sign a United jersey on Sunday after a fan had brought it to the Juventus medical center where the player was undergoing tests.

Paul Pogba pictured giving a thumbs up gesture to Juventus fans on Sunday, July 10, 2022
Paul Pogba pictured giving a thumbs-up gesture to Juventus fans on Sunday :: IMAGO/LaPresse

Published
Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.