With two Serie A titles (12/13 & 13/14), two Italian Supercoppa trophies (2012 & 2013), a U20 World Cup trophy & Golden Ball award (both 2013), a European Golden Boy award (2013), and a FIFA World Cup Best Young Player (2014) award under his belt by the age of 21, Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is being tipped for greatness.
Possessing an impressive CV at a young age, the Frenchman’s stock continues to rise almost week after week. Despite playing for the best football team in the Italian Serie A, Pogba’s agent is still tipping him for a lucrative move to an elite European club, citing a nine figure valuation.
“I want the club that buys him to believe in him and be willing to pay for him. If Paul leaves Juventus, it is for the absolute top. If you cannot take Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Zlatan Ibrahimovic, you can only go for Paul. If someone wants him, the market situation could see him go for more than 100million Euros,” said the Frenchman’s representative Mino Raiola.
The most expensive central midfielder is Zinedine Zidane, ironically a Frenchman who moved from Juventus to Real Madrid for around £46M. However, such a figure could be comfortably eclipsed by Pogba given his current rise to prominence, should he ever consider leaving the Old Lady.
Pogba has already made 22 caps for his country, and could well have over a decade of service still to offer Les Blues, which could see him challenging the all-time top appearance-maker Lilian Thuram (142 caps). The former Manchester United man is a box-to-box midfielder, more proficient attacking than defending, while possessing quick feet to get himself out of sticky situations, and the strong physique to stand up to big opposition.
He’s dazzled up the Italian Serie A since his arrival, and has played a key role in the Juve side during one of its most successful ever periods in terms of domestic trophies. This season, Pogba has scored six goals in 17 league starts, creating 25 chances and making 58 successful dribbles. The Frenchman has made over 110 appearances for Juve already, with one of his most recent seeing him net the winning goal against Napoli, to earn Juve their first win at the Stadio San Paolo in 14 years.
As a result of his consistent performances in the last two seasons, Pogba isn’t without interest from a host of sides, but his sale will require a large outlay due to his value to the Italian side. Thus, will the 21-year-old become the most expensive central midfielder in history?
