End of an era: Paul Pogba’s legacy at Man United
On June 1, 2022, Manchester United announced that Paul Pogba will leave the club following the expiration of his contract. After years of ups and downs, Paul Pogba is set to leave United as a free agent this summer - again, for the second time. The first time this happened, United was arguably the best team in the Premier League, and a giant of European football. Also, the guy who they let go of wasn’t a World Cup champion, and didn’t have a price tag of €105 million.
Manchester United resigns Paul Pogba in 2016 for a reported fee of €105 million (Image: Manchester United via Twitter)
Pogba, not only marked for his price tag, talent, but also attitude and inconsistency, will go down as a rather controversial figure for United fans. Considered by many to be among one of the most technically gifted footballers of this generation, Pogba has the combination of flair, technique, vision, creativity, and physical strength that makes him a good comparison of a modern-day version of Zinedine Zidane to French football. On his day, he shows that he can be the best player on the pitch. One goal in the final against Ajax to win the Europa League - United first continental trophy in nine years. The brace against Manchester City in the Manchester derby to shut down critics. 16 goals and 11 assists, named to PFA Team of the year under Solskjaer first season as United manager. He bagged four assists against Leeds at the beginning of the season. The link-ups with Ronaldo and Bruno gave United fans hope for something miraculous. And we all know what happened in the following months. United was…United, and Pogba, although can’t really put the blame on him for the whole team’s poor results, just…wasn’t there, in a very Pogba-ish style that we’ve known for the past few seasons. Pogba wasn’t someone that can consistently perform week-in, week-out throughout the season. He was someone the players of those moments, if you can call them one. Moments are legendary, career-defining plays in the biggest stages that lead the team to glory. Pogba, world champion with France, only had those little sparks of brilliance for United, since United in those years, was never really in the position to even perform at those main stages. The best season we had in the past years was probably the second-place Premier League finish under Jose Mourinho during the 2016-17 season, and champions of Europa League.
Pogba won the UEFA Europa League during United’s 16-17 campaign (Image: ESPN)
Was Pogba really a failure at United? Many United fans, and neutral fans, will agree - and for a price tag of 105 million - they clearly had a strong argument. However, to be fair, as much as Pogba “failed” United, United also failed to have a strategic plan after the Ferguson-era, starting with management and transfers. Five managers, five trophies won, none of them is for a major competition. Until Bruno Fernandes arrived, was there really a “star-signing” followed after Pogba, that left much impact, as well as representing the boards of directors’ belief in truly building a young, fresh generation of Man United? There really wasn’t. Ibrahimovic, Cavani, and even now, the legendary Ronaldo, were crucial - but were they someone we should put the weights on their shoulders, at the dawn of their careers? Mata and Matic were fantastic, and still show some of those qualities whenever they played, but the peak of their careers were at Chelsea. Lukaku - it feels like a matter of chemistry, as he would be more suitable for a team that is dedicated to feeding the ball to strikers. Alexis Sanchez was a huge disappointment.
Recent signings, such as Maguire, Varane, van de Beek, etc. and Manchester United as a team, might still be able to turn things around, with newly-appointed manager Erik ten Haag. But for Pogba and United, it was already, and officially over, probably for the best of both. United is looking at a busy summer, making potential moves that can hopefully be the foundation of a new era. Pogba, still undecided on his next destination, hopefully can land somewhere that allows him to thrive, whether it’s his old flame Juventus, the ambitious PSG, or any other club.