Last July, Paul Pogba made his return to Juventus with a big smile on his face as he was greeted by enthusiastic fans.
But little did we know at the time that the Frenchman had been dealing with some major personal issues for quite some time.
The midfielder has been the victim of an alleged extortion orchestrated by his own brother and some of his childhood fans.
Shocking reports later revealed that the midfielder was threatened and kidnapped at gunpoint by hooded individuals, demanding €13m for his services as their personal “protectors”.
For his part, one of Pogba’s old friends, named Boubacar Camara, was questioned by investigators and revealed that the 29-year-old was ready to quit football after the kidnapping incident.
“In his first season in Italy I lived with him for most of the year, then I left because my son was born,” Camara told investigators as reported by Le Journal de Dimanche via Calciomercato.
“The day after the kidnapping, I saw Paul Pogba sitting up in bed deep in thought in a hotel in Paris.
“I was crying and struggling to speak. He told me that he was kidnapped by hooded and armed men, who asked him for 13 million euros.
“Then he confessed to me that he wanted to disappear, that he didn’t want to play football anymore.
“He was scared for his family. Now he no longer trusts anyone, but I am innocent and a victim like him.”
Fortunately, Pogba has been able to recover after seeking help from the authorities, and Juventus fans hope to have him back in peak physical and mental condition once he fully recovers from a meniscus injury.
