Peﾃｯlﾃｩ Florentin Pogba (born 19 August 1990) is a Guinean professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
Paul
Paul may refer to:
People
* Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people
* Paul (surname), a list of people
* Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament
* Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
are both professional footballers.
Early life
Pogba was born in
Conakry
Conakry ( , ; ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population as of the 2014 Guinea census was 1,660,973.
The current population of C ...
, the capital of Guinea. His family moved to
Roissy-en-Brie
Roissy-en-Brie (, literally ''Roissy in Brie'', before 1988: ''Roissy'') is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the ﾃ四e-de-France region in north-central France and is located in the eastern suburbs of Paris, from the center.
Histo ...
in France when he was eight months old.
Pogba has two brothers who are also professional footballers. His twin brother, Mathias, most recently played for ASM Belfort, while his younger brother,
Paul
Paul may refer to:
People
* Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people
* Paul (surname), a list of people
* Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament
* Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
, most recently played for Italian side
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
and the
France national football team
The France national football team () represents France in men's international Association football, football. It is controlled by the French Football Federation (FFF; ), the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Euro ...
.
He grew up supporting
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
Pogba began his youth career playing for several clubs in
ﾃ四e-de-France
The ﾃ四e-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
. It was here that he came to the attention of Spanish side
Celta Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues), the club was foun ...
and signed for them in 2007, although he never made an appearance for their senior team. After spending two seasons in the youth ranks at Celta, he had a trial with Sedan in August 2009. After a successful trial, he joined up with Sedan's reserve team, and after one season in the reserves, he signed his first professional contract in March 2010. On 20 November 2010, Pogba made his first appearance with the first team in a 2窶0 win against amateur side FC Steinseltz in the
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...
. A few months later, on 5 February 2011, he made his league debut in a 1窶0 defeat against
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...
. Despite the result, Pogba's performance was praised, and he kept his place in the team. On 20 September, in the following season, he scored his first goal for Sedan, a header from a corner against
Troyes
Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...
.
Saint-ﾃ液ienne
On the final day of the summer transfer window in 2012, Pogba was transferred to
AS Saint-ﾃ液ienne
Association Sportive de Saint-ﾃ液ienne Loire (), abbreviated as A.S.S.E. () and commonly known as Saint-ﾃ液ienne, is a French professional football club based in Saint-ﾃ液ienne, Auvergne-Rhﾃｴne-Alpes. The club was founded in 1933 and competes ...
for a fee of 竄ｬ500,000. He was then immediately loaned back to Sedan for the remainder of the 2012窶13 season. After returning to Saint-ﾃ液ienne in 2013, he initially struggled to break into the team in his first season with the club. He scored his first goal for the club on 3 December, in a 2窶0 win against
Montpellier HSC
Montpellier Hﾃｩrault Sport Club (; ), commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC, is a French professional association football, football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie. The original club was ...
. By this time, he had well and truly established himself as the first choice centre-back at the club, displacing long time Saint-ﾃ液ienne defender Loﾃｯc Perrin. Pogba picked up a serious injury whilst on international duty with Guinea. It was initially feared that he would miss the rest of the season, but he returned against
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionGenﾃｧlerbirliﾄ殃 on a short-term contract. On 6 May 2018, Pogba was involved in a confrontation with teammates during a crucial game against
Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor Kulﾃｼbﾃｼ is a Turkish professional multi-sport club based in Antalya, southern Turkey. The club's colours are red and white.
The association football, football side play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the cl ...
. Genﾃｧlerbirliﾄ殃 were losing 1窶0 when Pogba limped off the pitch and took off his shirt in the 88th minute. The Ankara side, fighting to avoid relegation, had already used the allowed three substitutions. Genﾃｧlerbirliﾄ殃's
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, Ahmet Oﾄ殷z, furious that he was going to leave them with ten men, confronted Pogba, who turned around and walked on to face his teammate as other players and staff were forced to separate the duo. He became a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
upon the expiry of his contract.
Atlanta United
In January 2019, Pogba went on trial with Spanish
Segunda Divisiﾃｳn
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda Divisiﾃｳn, commonly known as Segunda Divisiﾃｳn or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
club
Elche
Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants,
. He impressed during his trial and was set to sign with the club but a registration hitch meant he was unable to.
A month later, Pogba signed for
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
club
Atlanta United FC
Atlanta United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Domestically, the club has won one MLS Cup, one U.S. Open Cup, and one Eastern ...
, following a preseason session with the team. He made his first team debut in a 1-0 victory against
Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...
on 16 May. He started and played the full match as Atlanta recorded their fifth clean sheet, winning all 5 games in the process, setting a new MLS record. In the 2019 Campeones Cup against
Club Amﾃｩrica
Club de Fﾃｺtbol Amﾃｩrica S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club Amﾃｩrica, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las ﾃ“uilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
on 14 August, Pogba earned a penalty for Atlanta that was converted by
Josef Martﾃｭnez
Josef Alexander Martﾃｭnez Mencia (born 19 May 1993) is a Venezuelan professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes and the Venezuel ...
and sealed a 3窶2 victory.
In the final of the U.S. Open Cup against Minnesota United on 27 August, Pogba played at center-back as Atlanta won 2窶1 and secured their second trophy of the season.
On 21 November, it was announced that Atlanta had declined the option to extend Pogba's contract into the 2020 season due to the uncertainty around the collective bargaining agreement, meaning that he became a free agent.
Sochaux
On 18 May 2020, it was announced that Pogba had signed a three-year contract with
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...
side
Sochaux
Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comtﾃｩ region in eastern France.
Geography
Sochaux lies east of Montbﾃｩliard, and southeast of Paris.
Population
Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''.
Economy
...
, pending a physical.
Mohun Bagan SG
On 24 June 2022,
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
Durand Cup
The Durand Cup (also called the IndianOil Durand Cup Powered by Coal India Limited for sponsorship reasons) is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Annadale, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Hosted by the ...
as his team lost the match by 3窶2.
R.E. Virton
On 25 July 2024, Pogba joined Belgian side R.E. Virton.
International career
Pogba was handed his first call up to the Guinea squad by Michel Dussuyer ahead of a friendly match against
Mali
Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...
on 11 August 2010. He made his international debut in the second half of the game, helping his team to a 2窶0 victory.
Nine months later, Pogba accepted a call-up to play for the France under-20 team in the
2011 Toulon Tournament
The 2011 Toulon Tournament was the 39th edition of the tournament and took place from June 1 to 10. Ivory Coast were the defending champions, but they failed to win a single match and were eliminated in the group stage.
Colombia won the tourname ...
. Pogba was allowed to do this because
FIFA
The Fﾃｩdﾃｩration Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
's regulations allow players with dual nationality to change their allegiance if they haven't yet played a competitive match for a country, which he hadn't yet done with Guinea. France went on to reach the final, but lost out to the Colombia under-20 team 3窶1 on penalties; Pogba was one of three French players to miss their penalty.
On 24 March 2013, Pogba pledged his international future to Guinea, and he played his first competitive game for them in a
2014 World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
. After struggling to play regular club football in the 2013窶14 season, he also struggled to get into the Guinea team. However, after forcing his way into the Saint-ﾃ液ienne side during the following season, he was able to return to his place in the Guinea team.
In December 2014, Pogba was named in the final 23-man roster for Guinea at the
2015 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, Equatorial Guinea 2015 for sponsorship reasons, was the 30th staging of the Africa Cup of Nations, the international men's football championship of Africa. It was org ...
. Pogba played the full 90 minutes of their first group match, a 1窶1 draw against
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Cﾃｴte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Cﾃｴte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
, and started the second match against
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
, before being substituted just before half-time with a thigh injury. He did not feature again for Guinea as they lost in the quarter-finals to
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Cﾃｴte d窶僮voire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
.
Pogba was recalled to the national team in October 2019 by new manager
Didier Six
Didier Six (born 21 August 1954) is a French football manager and former player, who most recently worked as manager of the Guinea national football team until October 2021.
A gifted but inconsistent winger, Six had a rather nomadic career, pl ...
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
*
Campeones Cup
The Campeones Cup is an annual North American association football match contested between the winners of the previous MLS Cup from Major League Soccer and the winners of the Campeﾃｳn de Campeones from Liga MX. The competition was established by ...
:
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...