Tag Archives: POGBA

Soccer: Pogba to face brother as Man United meet St Etienne.

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Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba, could face his brother Florentin after Jose Mourinho’s side were drawn against St Etienne in the Europa League round of 32, a tie which will also stir memories of the dark days of hooliganism in the 1970s.

The sides met in the old European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1977-78, but the first leg in St Etienne was marred by violence involving United supporters.

The English side were kicked out of the competition by UEFA but were reinstated on appeal and ordered to play their home leg outside Manchester, choosing to stage the game in Plymouth in south-west England.

They won the match 2-0 to go through 3-1 on aggregate.

Florentin Pogba, a Guinean international, is a defender for St Etienne although he has only been picked intermittently this season.

His brother Paul, who plays for France, joined United from Juventus in the close season for a world record fee.

Also, Borussia Moenchengladbach and Florentina, two of the most familiar names in European club football, will meet for the first time.

AS Roma, the only other Serie A team left in the competition after Inter Milan and Sassuolo failed to get past the group stage, are involved in another high-profile match against Spain’s Villarreal.

Israel’s Hapoel Beer Sheva, who beat Inter during the group stage, were rewarded with a tie against Besiktas, one of eight teams parachuting in from the Champions League.

Two of the other top ties pitted AZ Alkmaar against Olympique Lyonnais and PAOK against Schalke, a repeat of their Champions League playoff tie in 2013-14 which the Bundesliga side edged 4-3 on aggregate.

Paul Pogba’s Dab Is Now An Exam Question In France

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‘The Dab’ has become the new pose for many a Premier League star, with Paul Pogba the pioneer.

The Manchester United midfielder has often use the dance move as a goal celebration, but he is now the subject of an exam question in France

Paul Pogba has been celebrating with the pose for some time now, with the trend first starting during his days at Juventus.

He is now on the books at Manchester United, but has become so synonymous with the move that his actions have become the subject of a maths question in his homeland.

Students are required to work out whether the two triangles formed by Pogba’s shoulders and arms can be considered perfect by the rules of Pythagoras’s theorem.

That all sounds very complicated, with the interest shown in celebrations perhaps now being taken too far!

 

Pogba seems quite taken with the attention, though, writing on Twitter: “The dab is useful, am I approved?”

Fee for Pogba move to Manchester United not too much – Juventus

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Juventus general manager Beppe Marotta has defended the payment of a €27 million representation fee to Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola as part of the midfielder’s transfer to Manchester United in the summer.

Raiola earned the sum when Pogba, 23, returned to United from Juve for a world-record fee of €105m in August.

Marotta says the fact that the France international’s move was the biggest transfer in football history means the agent’s slice was not extraordinary.

“We’re talking about a deal over €100m and it’s absolutely normal that whoever contributed to the operation’s conclusion should receive a significant financial return,” Marotta told Il Corriere della Sera.

Marotta added that Raiola had not only been acting in Pogba’s interests, but also working to find the right solution for Juve, further justifying such a substantial payment.

“From being simply an advisor, agents have now become intermediaries who also work on behalf of the club,” Marotta said. “They propose offers and conduct negotiations.”

Deducting Raiola’s fee, Juve still made a considerable profit on Pogba, as Marotta explained at the club’s AGM last month.

“He [Pogba] came from United for a price of around €1.5m,” Marotta said. “After four years with us he decided to return to England. He wanted to leave at all costs. Our asking price was €105m plus €5m in bonuses, which is payable if the player renews with United or leaves for a fee of more than €50m.

“That brings us to a capital gain in the budget of €95m. Mino Raiola and his company will be paid €27m. Taking fees into account, the total gain for Pogba was €72m.”

Juve reinvested that profit plus a further €18m to sign Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli, while further investment in Miralem Pjanic and Marko Pjaca saw them spend more than any other club in Italy in the summer.

However, with an earning of €76m from last season’s participation in the Champions League and further sources of revenue, the Turin-based club announced a profit for the second year running in 2015-16.

Paul Pogba To Wear New Adidas Boots For The Manchester Derby

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Paul Pogba will be donning some brand spanking new boots for the Manchester derby this Saturday.

Both United and City have made a perfect start to the league and meet for the first time this season on the weekend.

And Adidas have marked the occasion by providing the Frenchman with a snake-skinned inspired boot, or for the purist ‘Adidas ACE16 + Purecontrol Viper Pack.’

Check out the images below courtesy of Adidas:


Adidas outlined the finer details of their newest boots. He hope you like technical jargon;

“The ACE 16+ PURECONTROL Viper Pack version offers a Primeknit upper and NON STOP GRIP (NSG) technology, delivering an unrivaled surface for close ball control, while the X 16+PURECHAOS Viper Pack version features a state-of- the-art PURECUT SOCK SYSTEM, covering the boot laces to give players the ultimate fit.”


Higuain Worth More Than Pogba – Crespo

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Juventus were “far more logical” to spend €90m on Gonzalo Higuain than Manchester United were to sign Paul Pogba for €110m, according to Hernan Crespo.

The Serie A giants landed Higuain from rivals Napoli in the fourth most expensive transfer in history, before going on to sell Pogba to United in the largest deal of all time.

And former Argentina international Crespo believes it made more sense for Juventus to sign his compatriot Higuain than it did for United to re-sign Pogba for a world-record fee.

“Nobody gives you anything for free, especially not in football,” Crespo told La Nacion.

“If Juventus paid so much to get Higuain from Napoli, it means he’s worth that money.

“In my view, it is logical to pay €90m for a striker who scored 36 goals in a single season. It’s far more logical than Manchester United paying €110m for Pogba.

“I say that with all due respect for the Frenchman, who is a great midfielder.”

Higuain, 28, scored 36 times in 35 league games for Napoli last season – the most goals netted in a single Serie A campaign in history.

The former Real Madrid man scored the winner in Juventus’ 2-1 win over Fiorentina on the opening day of the new season, whereas Pogba has started two of United’s first three Premier League games.

Allegri: Pogba Left Because I Beat Him At Basketball!

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Massimiliano Allegri has joked that Paul Pogba decided to leave Juventus because he lost to his head coach at football and basketball challenges.

Manchester United signed the France international in a world-record £89million deal this month and he is expected to make his second debut for the Premier League side when they face Southampton on Friday.

Allegri revealed he had not had the chance to speak to Pogba since his Juve exit, but spoke positively about their relationship and jested over the possible reasons for leaving.

“We had a very good relationship, like I do with all the players,” Allegri said. “Maybe he was still hurting because he lost to me in a challenge at football and basketball, so it was for that reason he decided to leave Juventus!”

“We didn’t speak because among other things he was in America until the day before he went to Manchester.”

Fiorentina are the visitors to Turin on Saturday as Juve begin the new Serie A campaign looking to win the Scudetto for the sixth year in succession, with Allegri wary over his side’s tough start to the campaign.

The head coach said: “This year, once again, we had five new players coming in and we’ve only had 17 days to work together, so we’ll certainly need a bit of time.

GOAL READ MORE    | Pogba eyes PL title 

“That’s why in the first few matches, over and beyond the question of playing well, we need an important approach in terms of character. These are difficult games, all the more so because we are at the beginning of the season.

“Fiorentina is just such a game. You can tell by looking at them last year, and by their statistics, that they always do well in the first half of the season.

“They’re a brilliant team and they changed nobody. They still have the same players they did last year, so they’ll have an advantage compared to us. It will be difficult.

“I won’t be talking about the transfer market, but the club is speaking with its actions and doing a great job to boot. We’ve brought in some great players, we’re a different team from last year.

“We have 15 days to complete the squad, then there are players on other teams who I don’t want to talk about at all.”

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Pogba Will Play Against Southampton, Mourinho Confirms

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The France international was unavailable for the Red Devils’ first Premier League fixture because of a suspension carried over from Juventus but could feature against the Saints

Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Paul Pogba is ready to play ‘some minutes’ in Manchester United’s clash with Southampton on Friday.

The midfielder missed out on the Red Devils’ first Premier League match of the season due to a suspension carried over from his time at Juventus, while a lack of pre-season training had also cast doubts.

However, Mourinho revealed that the Frenchman is nearing full fitness and is likely to feature against the Saints.

“We played against Leicester with players with less training than him and we saw that match as a way to improve them and accelerate the process,” the Portuguese told MUTV.

“With Paul it’s a bit the same – he hasn’t played in one single minute of any pre-season matches but has done almost two weeks of work with us, sometimes with the group, sometimes separately, and he is okay now to play some minutes.”

FA Confirm Paul Pogba Will Be Suspended For Manchester United vs. Bournemouth

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The world’s most expensive player picked up two yellow cards during last season’s Coppa Italia, meaning the subsequent one-match ban has been transferred to the Premier League

Manchester United fans will have to wait to see Paul Pogba in action for the first time after the Football Association announced the world’s most expensive player is to serve a one-match ban.

The 23-year-old’s two bookings in last season’s Coppa Italia, in the win over Inter in March and the final against AC Milan on May 21 in his final outing for Juventus, has been transferred across to England.

Pogba was not expected to start against Bournemouth on Sunday, being tipped for a place on the bench having only recently returned from holiday, but will now miss the trip to Dean Court.

Pogba could now make his first appearance in a United shirt against Southampton at Old Trafford the following Friday.

United To Pay Pogba Transfer Fee In Two Years

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Manchester United bought Paul Pogba for a world-record €105m plus a potential bonus fee of €5m, Juventus confirmed Tuesday.

“Juventus Football Club can today confirm that Paul Pogba has completed a move to Manchester United for a fee of €105m to be paid in two financial years,” the Italian club said in a statement.

“The consideration may increase by €5m on achieving given conditions in the course of the duration of the contract.”

The sum beats the previous record set by the transfer of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013, “thus making Pogba the most valuable player in the sport’s history”, Juventus said.

United said earlier that Pogba had signed a five-year contract but did not reveal the cost. The British media had put it at £89m (€105m), not including agent’s fees.

The sum paid for the 23-year-old French superstar eclipses the £85m Real Madrid splashed out for Bale.

C. Ronaldo Picks His Next Generation Of Superstars

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The Real Madrid star, who turned 30 in February, has named five players he thinks have the potential to replicate his achievements in football, including a Barcelona rival

Cristiano Ronaldo has picked five young players he considers the most promising in football today.

Ronaldo was heralded as a teenager with great potential when he arrived at Manchester United for just over £12 million in 2003.

He went on to win three Premier League titles and the Champions League whilst at Old Trafford before moving to Real Madrid.

The Portugal international won the Champions League again with Madrid and claimed another league title in 2011-12, and is also among an elite group of players including Lionel Messi, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten to have won the Ballon d’Or three or more times.

In an interview with BT Sport, Ronaldo has named the young stars he believes could follow in his footsteps.

“You see many players with potential, I will mention [Martin] Odegaard of Madrid for example,” he said. “At 16 he’s still young but you can see he’s a very good player.

“[Eden] Hazard for example, the No.7 of Manchester, [Memphis] Depay is a good player too. [Also Paul] Pogba and maybe Neymar.”

Pogba Needs Time To Grow Into Juventus Role – Del Piero

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The 40-year-old believes Juve’s new number 10 must be given more time to develop into the role, following calls for improvement from Massimiliano Allegri

Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero has called for patience towards Paul Pogba after his slow start to the season.

Pogba has struggled for form since taking over the iconic number 10 shirt in Turin at the start of the campaign, and this has coincided with the Serie A champion’s worst domestic start in over 30 years.

Despite setting up Stephan Lichtsteiner in the 1-1 Champions League draw with Borussia Monchengladback on Wednesday, coach Massimiliano Allegri urged he still must improve.

Yet Del Piero feels he must be given time to grow into the role.

“Today it [the no. 10 shirt] is being worn by a very young and very talented player who half of Europe want to sign,” he said.

“Let’s give him time to learn, to make mistakes and to grow.”

Del Piero – the 2006 World Cup winner – also refused to rule out a playing comeback, despite last appearing in an official match in December 2014.

“I’ve never said [that I am definitely retired]. Football is my passion but there has to be a time when you officially say it is time to stop,” he added. “Who knows what will happen.

“I’m going through a period of reflection at the moment. I will always live my life through football, even if I end up doing something else and I’ll never fully turn my back on it.”

Paul Pogba Takes Juventus’ No.10 Shirt

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The Frenchman has been handed the jersey famously worn by Alessandro Del Piero following the departure of Carlos Tevez

 

Juventus have announced that midfielder Paul Pogba has taken the vacant No.10 shirt for the season.

The Italian champions have been searching for a star player to wear number famously worn by Alessandro Del Piero during his long spell in Turin.

They had tried to buy Schalke attacker Julian Draxler and were linked with Bayern Munich’s Mario Gotze but have now decided on an internal solution Pogba, who previously wore the No.6 shirt, will don his new squad number from the Supercoppa Italiana clash with Lazio on Saturday.

The last owner of the No.10 was Carlos Tevez, who left the club this summer to return to Boca Juniors.

http://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/629204391086702592/photo/1

Barcelona made an €80 million bid for Pogba earlier this summer but were rebuffed in their attempt to sign the Frenchman.

Along with Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal have left the club this summer but Pogba now appears to be staying put.