Juventus' Paul Pogba Suspended 4 Years After Failing Drug Test for Testosterone

The Italian Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) announced Thursday that Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been suspended from soccer for four years after failing a drug test.

According to Colin Millar and James Horncastle of The Athletic, Pogba initially failed the test following an Aug. 20 match against Udinese and was handed a provisional suspension. Pogba's B sample confirmed the original positive test from his A sample, and it was determined that he had elevated levels of testosterone that were not produced by his body.

The 30-year-old Pogba, who is in his second season at Juventus and is under contract through 2026, can appeal the decision.

After spending the bulk of his early professional career at Juventus, Pogba joined Manchester United in 2016 and played six seasons at Old Trafford.

Despite never winning an English Premier League or UEFA Champions League title during his time with United, Pogba enjoyed individual success, including when he scored a career-high 16 goals across all competitions in 2018-19.

Pogba also achieved perhaps the biggest accomplishment of his career in 2018, winning the FIFA World Cup with France.

In the World Cup Final against Croatia, Pogba scored what proved to be the winning goal in a 4-2 victory.

After winning three Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia titles and two Supercoppa Italia titles during his first stint at Juve, Pogba returned on a four-year deal in 2022.

Injuries and fitness concerns limited Pogba to 10 overall appearances and six league matches last season, and he appeared in just two matches this season as a substitute.

Meanwhile, Pogba has not appeared in an international match for France since March 2022.

Juventus have gotten almost nothing out of their investment in Pogba, and it is entirely possible that his career with the club is over since he will be 34 when his suspension expires, provided he doesn't win an appeal.

With 57 points, Juventus are second in Serie A to first-place Inter Milan and their 69 points this season, and if they want to win their first Serie A title since the 2019-20 season, they'll have to do it without Pogba.