Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba falling out was one of the highlights of their time at Manchester United, and it is something the Frenchman has kept to himself for the most part. But Pogba, who is set to make a return to football after a doping scandal, recently opened up on his whole ordeal.
According to Pogba, his relationship with the current Fenerbahçe manager started off on a good note. It was Mourinho who personally called Pogba and asked him to return to Manchester United, six years after he had left the club for Juventus.
“It started great, he was one of the reasons I went back to Manchester because I spoke to him and he convinced me to come back,” said Pogba in his interview with Julien Laurens. Soon, however, things soured, like they do in most relationships — something Pogba admittedly explained, perfectly.
My brother! So happy to see you happy and smiling! My interview with @paulpogba coming up later today! pic.twitter.com/2hUUSxrAmU
— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) October 16, 2024
“Our relationship was like boyfriend and girlfriend, we were breaking up and making up all the time.”
However, the Juventus midfielder could not understand why. He insisted that he wasn’t the one who started the fights, and went on to say that he had a lot of respect for the Portuguese boss, who was the last Manchester United manager to win a European Trophy.
What happened in the past, stays in the past — a state of mind Pogba suggested during his interview. He does not hold any grudge against Mourinho for how ‘ugly’ their last moments together at Manchester United got.
In hindsight, they did achieve notable success—relatively speaking. In the 2016/17 season, when Pogba returned, Manchester United won the Community Shield, the League Cup, and the UEFA Europa League. While it was a far cry from the treble their neighbors Manchester City recently secured, it was still a solid season given the circumstances.
Pogba revealed that he does not wish to go back to Manchester United again. But that doesn’t mean Mourinho marred his time there. In fact, he stated he was open to a talk about the same, some point down the line.
“We disagreed like managers and players do sometimes. But there’s a lot of respect from me to him. If I see him tomorrow it’s a big hug! But one day we will have to sit down together and discuss it.”
Pogba, who received a four-year ban from football for doping last year, had his sentence reduced to just 18 months. This means that the Juve midfielder can get back to training in January, and play competitive football again in March. His club for the future, however, remains to be seen.
