Scudetti, Ballon d’Or, 2018… Paul Pogba’s career in 11 dates | OneFootball

He has joined the Rouge et Blanc family. This Saturday, June 28, 2025, marks the beginning of Paul Pogba's adventure at the foot of the Rock. A new step in an already fulfilling career, and an opportunity to reflect on 11 key dates in his career.

His career is a testament to the player’s stature. Freshly arrived in the Principality, the French midfielder, who has played over 500 matches in his career, will bring all his experience to the European and world stage. From his professional debut at Manchester United to his 2018 World Cup win, including four consecutive titles at Juventus, we take a look at 11 key dates in the career of Paul Pogba. Flashback. 🔙

September 20, 2011: His professional debut 👶

While spending much of his youth development between the Île-de-France region and Le Havre, Paul Pogba joined Manchester United’s youth system in 2010 at the age of 17. A year later, in September 2011, he made his professional debut in a League Cup match against Leeds, where he came on for the legendary Ryan Giggs. Aged just 18, he was subsequently used seven times by Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary Red Devils manager.

October 2, 2012: Discovering Europe 🇪🇺

His adventure in England ended in July 2012, and the Lagny-sur-Marne native signed a month later with Juventus. In a squad led by Italian legends such as Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, and Andrea Pirlo, he gradually made his mark and played his first minutes in the Champions League in October of that year in a match against Shakhtar Donetsk.

March 14, 2013: A first cap 🇫🇷

These were notable performances that didn’t go unnoticed in France. Having been France national team coach for less than a year, Didier Deschamps, who had managed AS Monaco from 2001 to 2005, called Pogba up for the first time as part of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Georgia. He was also included a year later in the list of 23 selected for this tournament, at the end of which he was voted best young player, scoring notably in the round of 16 against Nigeria.

May 5, 2013: One Scudetto before three others 🇮🇹

Meanwhile, at the end of a promising 2012-2013 season, which saw him make a total of 39 appearances in all competitions and score five goals, the imposing midfielder added a league title to his list of achievements. The Bianconeri were crowned Italian champions, finishing ahead of Napoli and Milan, and would remain so until 2017, thus securing six consecutive titles between 2011 and 2017, four of which went to Paul.

July 13, 2013: The French U20s at the top 🔝

While the played nicknamed “La Pioche” (The Pickaxe) was making his debut in the national team, on the eve of his 20th birthday, he continued to prove himself in the youth categories. Captain of the France U20s at the 2013 World Cup, he established himself as the undisputed leader of the squad led by Pierre Mankowski, and contributed greatly to Les Bleuets‘ winning the title over Uruguay.

Lined up in midfield with former Monaco player Geoffrey Kondogbia, Paul was voted the competition’s best player after scoring the first penalty in the victorious final, guiding his teammates to glory (0-0, 4-1 on penalties). At the same time, he also won the 2013 Golden Boy award, rewarding the best young player over a single season.

2014: Worldwide Recognition 🌍

As mentioned above, Paul Pogba ranked first in the young players’ rankings at the end of the 2014 World Cup, his first appearance in the competition. It was a fitting reward for him, having finished 22nd in the 2014 Ballon d’Or and being awarded the Bravo Trophy—a now-defunct trophy—for the best player under 21 playing in Europe.

January 11, 2016: In the top 20 for the Ballon d’Or ⚽

These first awards only increased his ambitions. At the end of a 2014-2015 season that saw Juventus win their 31st Scudetto and reach the Champions League final, he played 41 matches, scoring 10 goals and providing 10 assists, and was named to the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA World XI.

All this was crowned by a 15th-place finish in the 2015 Ballon d’Or rankings. The following season, the French midfielder achieved his highest ranking in the trophy awarded by France Football, climbing to 14th.

May 24, 2017: Pogba on top of Europe ⛏️

On August 9, 2016, after a fourth title in Italy, Paul Pogba made his grand return to Manchester United. In his first year there, he won the club’s first Europa League against Ajax Amsterdam, where he proved decisive by opening the scoring (2-0). The lanky midfielder was named to the competition’s team of the year and was voted best player of the 2017 edition thanks to his three goals and one assist.

July 15, 2018: 20 years later, France are back at the top 🏆

It’s surely one of the finest achievements in their history. After reaching the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup and then the finals of Euro 2016, Paul Pogba and the French national team were ambitious heading into the 2018 World Cup. And at the end of a fabulous competition, “La Pioche” scored France’s third goal in the final against Danijel Subasic’s Croatia (4-2). It was just reward for a golden generation of which he was one of the true leaders on and off the pitch, becoming the 13th player who played for AS Monaco to win the World Cup.

2018/19: His Most Prolific Season 💎

Starting his fourth season with the Red Devils, he simply confirmed his previous form and quickly established himself as the centerpiece of the team led first by José Mourinho and then by Ole Gunnar Solskjær. He finished the season with a total of 47 matches, recording 16 goals and 11 assists, the most prolific tally of his career.

Beyond the World Cup title won in Russia in 2018, Paul Pogba also contributed to Les Bleus‘ first victory in the Nations League Final Four. Facing Spain in the 2021 final, Didier Deschamps’ men managed to beat La Roja thanks to goals from Benzema and Mbappé. Paul Pogba imposed himself in midfield, allowing the French attackers to play their game.