Paul Pogba has admitted that he considered retiring from professional football after he was allegedly blackmailed by an organised gang which included his brother Mathias.
The Juventus star claimed that he was the target of extortion and threats, filing a complaint with prosecutors in Turin last July.
Mathias Pogba, a professional footballer himself who previously played for Wrexham, was detained in September 2022, but released in December under judicial supervision, meaning he cannot contact his younger brother or mother. The 33-year-old denies the allegations made against him.
This week Paul Pogba opened up on the impact the incident has had on him for the first time. “When there is money you have to be careful,” the former Manchester United midfielder told Al-Jazeera.
“Money changes people. It can break up a family. It can create a war.
“Sometimes I was just by myself thinking, ‘I don’t want to have money anymore. I just don’t want to play anymore. I just want to be with normal people, so they will love me for me – not for the fame, not for the money.’
“Sometimes it’s tough. This life, you have to go through it. It will only make me stronger.”
Pogba has been provisionally suspended from playing football in Italy due to an anti-doping offense.
