To celebrate the 28th birthday of Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, let’s check out his five best career highlights so far.
Paul Pogba has had an eventful career, to say the least. The Frenchman has triumphed on the biggest stage, had his moments of controversies, and earned comparisons to legends of the game with his diverse talents.
So to celebrate his 28th birthday, Ace Football checks out the star’s best career moments so far.
2013 Golden Boy winner at Juventus
Look away Manchester United fans. Paul Pogba collecting his Golden Boy trophy as the best U21 player in Europe. pic.twitter.com/Cp512xZ6s9
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) December 5, 2013
After turning down a professional contract with Manchester United, Pogba signed for Juventus in 2012. He quickly established himself in Turin and won the Golden Boy award in 2013. Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo awarded him the Bravo Award for the most outstanding young European footballer a year later.
Pogba proceeded to make 178 appearances for Juventus, winning four consecutive Serie A titles and finishing runner-up in the 2015 Champions League final.
Best young player at the 2014 World Cup
World Cup Best Young Player:
2014: @paulpogba
2018: @KMbappe🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/qzd62ltzpb
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 15, 2018
Pogba’s rise to fame continued in the 2014 World Cup. The midfielder, who had only made his international debut a year earlier, impressed in Brazil to help France reach the quarter-finals. He also gave a man-of-the-match performance in the 2-0 win over Nigeria in the last-16.
FIFA, therefore, awarded Pogba the Best Young Player Award for his impressive displays.
The world’s most expensive player
Most expensive football transfers:
1. Paul Pogba – £89m
2. Gareth Bale – £85m
3. Cristiano Ronaldo – £80m pic.twitter.com/PBKWac49lp— Footy (@Footy) August 9, 2016
The 28-year-old became a subject of heavy interest to clubs across Europe in 2016. Real Madrid and Barcelona were allegedly among his suitors. With some unfinished business at Old Trafford, however, Pogba favored a return to Manchester United.
The Red Devils acted on his desire by paying Juventus a then-world record transfer fee of €105m to re-sign Pogba. It smashed the previous record fee Real Madrid paid for Gareth Bale in 2013 by €4m.
A dream return to Manchester United
OTD in 2016: Paul Pogba re-joined Manchester United…
👕 51 games
⚽️ 9 goals
🎯 6 assists
🏆 Europa League
🏆 League CupOne year done 👊 pic.twitter.com/Mmdhm39ArW
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) August 9, 2017
Pogba, alongside fellow new signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, ensured a brilliant for Jose Mourinho by helping the then-Manchester United manager win the EFL Cup and Europa League in 2016/17.
The midfielder had a slow start to life back at Old Trafford, but he came to life when it mattered most and scored in the 2-0 win over Ajax in the Europa League final.
Scoring in the World Cup final for France
On this day in 2018 – Paul Pogba dropped a MOTM performance and became the first ever Manchester United player to score in a World Cup Final, as France became World Champions 🇫🇷🏆 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/TnuAHrjh62
— UnitedReds (@UnitedRedscom) July 15, 2020
After settling for a runners-up spot in Euro 2016 on home soil, Pogba and France went one better two years later to win the World Cup.
The Red Devils star impressed in Russia with his consistently strong performances in the French midfield. He later scored a decisive third goal in the final itself to help France beat Croatia 4-2 for a second World Cup, and the national team’s first world title in 20 years.
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