Former France World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit has said he is ‘happy’ for Paul Pogba after his doping ban was cut short – but claimed it will be a ‘miracle’ if he can return to the top level.
Pogba was staring retirement in the eyes when he received a four-year ban from football, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled earlier this month that he inadvertently took DHEA, a substance that boosts testosterone that is on WADA’s banned list.
It is understood that CAS’ ruling allows Pogba to recommence training in January 2025, with a view to playing again in March the same year.
Fans are now waiting to see where the former Manchester United midfielder will be playing, with him understood to be in negotiations to leave Juventus – the club he is contracted to and last played for.
And Petit, who is, like Pogba, a former World Cup winner with France, has exclusively told Mail Sport on behalf of BetBrain that he would be surprised if the 31-year-old’s career continued at a top team.
It will be a ‘miracle’ if Paul Pogba (pictured) can return to playing at the top level, Emmanuel Petit has claimed
Pogba is nearing a return to action after seeing his doping ban cut from four years to 18 months
Petit (pictured) said he is ‘happy’ for Pogba but challenged him to return to the top of the game
‘I’m very happy for him, very happy for him,’ he began. ‘But he’s right now, 31 or 32, something like that, the last time he played a proper game was a year ago, in September.
‘For me, it will be a miracle if he can come back at the highest level. He’s got the quality as a footballer. Can he get the energy as a human being to fill the expectation? I’m not really convinced about that.
‘What happened in his private life, has been an earthquake. I don’t think a lot of people will have survived what he’s been through, with his brothers, his friends. Can you imagine what happened to him? Now you can understand why he was not really good with Manchester United. Sometimes on the pitch, he was lost. But I can understand with what happened to him.’
Pogba’s brother and five other men will reportedly stand trial as part of an alleged extortion case that targeted the Frenchman two years ago.
Pogba filed a complaint after he was kidnapped and robbed in March 2022 by two unidentified masked and armed men in Paris , who demanded €13m (£10.98m) for ‘protection services’.
After the original threat, the group were said to repeatedly intimidate Pogba and claim that he didn’t support them after becoming an international star in order to get him to pay, as per Le Parisien.
And, after two years of investigations, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that Mathias Pogba and the five men would stand trial.
Petit added: ‘If my brother betrayed me… I mean, football is important, but life is more important, and we’re talking about life.
‘I hope I’m wrong. Honestly, because I like him, I like his personality, and I like the player as well, but it will be a big miracle if he comes back at at the highest level. I wish him the best, honestly, but the damages of what happened have been terrible, honestly, terrible.Â
‘I’m not sure that in England you you understand exactly what happened to Pogba over the last two, three years. It’s a nonsense. I’ve never seen that before.’
Pogba won the World Cup with France but has had a mixed career with it unclear where he will play next
He is thought to be in negotiations to cancel his Juventus contract before his return
Mathias Pogba (left) is one of a group of men who will stand trial for allegedly kidnapping and robbing the midfielder
Petit also commented on France captain Kylian Mbappe, who has been at war with former side Paris Saint-Germain after leaving the club for Real Madrid in the summer for free.
PSG are set to take their wage dispute with Mbappe to court after the French football league’s governing body (LFP) ruled in favour of the forward.
French media report the 25-year-old, who has not commented on the dispute, is seeking around 55 million euros (£46m) in salary and bonuses he says he is owed by the club.
The Ligue 1 champions, however, say Mbappe’s contract was ‘legally amended’ and that he reneged on commitments when he left the club to join Madrid.
He has also been the subject of controversy in France in recent weeks having faced criticism in his home country for missing their Nations League games against Israel and Belgium while being available to play for Real Madrid.
The forward picked up a muscle injury last month but made his return to the pitch prior to the international break.
Though his team-mates have leapt to his defence, Petit has insisted that his reputation has been spiraling since he left for Spain.
Petit also discussed Mbappe, who left France and Paris Saint-Germain to join Real Madrid
Petit said Mbappe’s ‘image’ in France has been ‘going down’ after the exit and amid issues with the national team
‘In space of one year, his image has been going down,’ he said. ‘A year ago, he was the main man here in France. Everybody loved him. But what happened with PSG, what happened in the national team as well, the fight, he was not there.
‘His image has not been good at all in France for at least a year now, and it’s going down, down, down every single week.
‘He knows that he’s under huge pressure at Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world. He knows the expectation over there. And this is likely the the priority of Mbappe. Mbappe actually is more focused on the Real Madrid than the national team.
‘And I can understand that honestly, but he has to be very, very careful, because, in France, his image is not good at all.’
