Image: courtesy
Juventus player Paul Pogba has reportedly been banned from football for four years after failing a drugs test last August.
The 30-year-old tested positive for testosterone following Juventus' opening game of the season against Udinese, and an anti-doping prosecutor's office in Italy handed him a heavy punishment on Thursday, according to La Repubblica.
Pogba's attorneys had turned down a plea agreement, hoping to secure their client a lower sentence by arguing that he had mistakenly ingested the drug that triggered the positive test.
However, the prosecution did not believe Pogba's defence, and he has now been issued a ban that might ruin his career.
Pogba will turn 31 next month, so he won't be able to return to the pitch until he's nearly 35.
Pogba's suspension caps a spectacular fall from grace for a man who was once the most expensive footballer in the world.
After graduating from United's academy, Pogba joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 and went on to win four consecutive Serie A titles.
This convinced the Red Devils to bring him back to Old Trafford in 2016 for a world record sum of £89 million. Pogba won the World Cup with France two years later, scoring in the final against Croatia, but has struggled to reach the same levels at United.
