Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba has returned a positive test for his B sample, confirming the original positive drugs test in the previous month.
The 30-year-old had been suspended after an initial test found elevated levels of testosterone in his system after being selected for random testing after Juve’s opening day 3-0 hammering of Udinese in August and the B sample has now confirmed that, raising the likelihood of a severe punishment for the Frenchman.
The ban for being found guilty of doping is between two and four years, which could mean the end of his playing career after a turbulent couple of years on and off the field.
Pogba left Manchester United in the summer of 2022 and returned to Turin but was caught in a blackmail plot against him, which reportedly included his brother, and had already considered retirement during that ordeal.
An injury for which he delayed surgery around this time last year eventually kept him out of France’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squad in Qatar and he missed virtually the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign.
Pogba began his professional career with Manchester United in 2011 but made just seven appearances across all competitions before moving to Juventus for the first time.
Between 2012 and 2016, Pogba played 226 times for The Old Lady and won four Serie A titles, as well as two Coppa Italia’s and a Supercoppa Italiana.
He returned to United in 2016 for what was a world record transfer fee of £89.3 million. In his second and very inconsistent stint at Old Trafford, he did help the club win the UEFA Europa League as well as an FA Cup before departing on a free transfer six years later.
Internationally, Pogba has 91 caps and has scored 11 goals for France, winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup and also reaching the final with Les Bleus at UEFA Euro 2016.
