I almost retired from football – Paul Pogba

Juventus midfielder, Paul Pogba has admitted he almost retired from professional football after an alleged organised armed extortion attempt against him which involved his brother.

An investigation was opened last year into claims that Pogba was the target of an extortion plot by his brother Mathias and childhood friends demanding €13million from him.

“Money changes people. … It can break up a family,” Pogba told Al Jazeera’s Generation Sport.

“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.”

Pogba also endured a tough spell on the pitch following his return to Juventus following his departure from Manchester United.