Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot has expressed his desire to reunite with former teammate Paul Pogba, encouraging him to join the club when he becomes eligible to play again next year.
Pogba recently reached a mutual agreement with Juventus to terminate his contract, following a doping ban that was reduced from four years to 18 months after an appeal. He is set to return to the pitch in March, coinciding with his 32nd birthday.
“I would like to play with Paul,” Rabiot said in an interview with DAZN after scoring in Marseille’s 2-0 victory over Saint-Etienne on Sunday. “He is highly invited to come and play at Marseille.”
Rabiot, who joined Marseille from Juventus this offseason, is beginning to showcase his best form. The club is currently in second place in Ligue 1, tied on points with Monaco and trailing leaders Paris Saint-Germain by five points, under the guidance of esteemed coach Roberto De Zerbi. “What we’re putting into place here is really very good. There’s a real dynamic and we have ambition,” Rabiot noted, highlighting his 50 appearances for the French national team.
Pogba tested positive for testosterone in August of last year and received the maximum penalty from Italy’s anti-doping court. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced his ban, citing a lack of intent and acknowledging that his positive test stemmed from mistakenly taking a supplement prescribed by a doctor in Florida.
Pogba made headlines in 2016 when he became the most expensive soccer player in history, transferring from Juventus to Manchester United for a fee of €105 million. He has represented France 91 times, scoring 11 goals, including one in the World Cup final against Croatia in 2018. During his peak at United, he netted a career-high 13 league goals in a single season and was regarded as one of the world’s top midfielders.
After returning to Juventus as a free agent in 2022, Pogba’s second stint was marred by injuries, limiting him to just eight Serie A appearances before his suspension.
“We rubbed shoulders briefly at Juventus,” Rabiot reflected. “We didn’t get much chance to play together since he had quite a few injuries. I was very disappointed.”
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