Pogba returns to the field with Juventus after 2474 days, against Torino-Corriere.it

21 May 2016, Stadio Olimpico, Rome. Milan versus Juventus. the Coppa Italia final: the Bianconeri have already won their fifth consecutive Scudetto, the second of the Allegri era, and are looking for an encore in the cup. The challenge goes to extra time on 0-0: the man of the match Alvaro Morata, who came on in the 108th minute and scored the winning goal after just 2 minutes. A match that today takes on a new meaning for Juventus fans: still the last played by Paul Pogba with the Juventus shirt.

The return of Pogba, what the world was like in 2016

Since then 2474 days have passed. Seven very long years. Since then everything has changed, on and off the pitch. Paul is no longer a talent on the launch pad and Juve are no longer the rulers of the championship. The prime minister was Matteo Renzi, the president of the United States Barack Obama, the iPhone had just arrived in the 6th model, the most listened to song in Italy was Wish but no place by Fedez and J-Ax. It feels like another life. And perhaps, in a certain sense, it is. The interminable wait has finally come to an end. Pogba returns to wear the black and white shirt in an official match, and he does so in a challenge that is anything but trivial: Juventus-Turin, the Mole derby. And looking back on seven years ago, it almost seems like a sign of destiny.

Who played with him in that Juve

Perhaps the best season of Pogba’s career ended 2474 days ago. The 10 on his shoulders, team keys in hand. A season that started undertones, for Juve and for Paul. Perhaps due to the pressure given by that heavy shirt inherited from Carlos Tevez; perhaps due to the difficulties in adapting to a midfield orphaned by two heavyweights such as Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal. Only one goal in the first 2 months of the championship, with Juve in the meantime sinking further and further into the standings. The doubts multiply, the criticisms are not lacking. The real Paul seemed like a distant memory. He tried to rekindle the flame by drawing a +5 on the shirt and imagining going back to his beloved number 6 with which he had taken over the black and white world. Then, the turning point. The match? Juventus-Turin.

The historic comeback and the goals in the derbies

Pogba scores and the start of a Scudetto comeback that seemed desperate for Juve. For him, however, it will be the beginning of a year of 13 assists and 10 goals in all competitions: he scores three against Turin, one for each derby played that season. Round trip in the league, round of 16 in the Italian Cup. Seven years later, he starts again from here. The ordeal is over, the injuries are behind us, the stadium cheered him on entering the field in the derby in the 69th minute in place of Fagioli. Now it’s up to Pogba: you need a 10 finish to recover Juve.