Pogba: I Am Judged Differently Because Of My Transfer Fee

By Joshua Walters

Paul Pogba says he is judged differently in the football fraternity because of his hefty transfer fee to Manchester United.

Pogba joined Manchester United from Italian champions Juventus in 2016 in a staggering £89m deal -a world record transfer fee at the time- which he thinks has brought huge scrutiny on him.

But the French World Cup winner believes both Neymar and Mbappe, who hold similarly huge transfer fees, are judged differently due to their goalscoring abilities.

"Because it was the biggest transfer in history at the time, you get judged differently," he told the LifeTimes podcast.

"They expect more from you because of the price tag.

"A good game would be a normal game. A top game would be a good game.

“It's a big amount. It went down when other transfers came, so it's fine. I think it's also because I'm a midfielder.

“People see more strikers because they score goals, so that's why it made such a big impact. I don't think [Neymar and Mbappe] get it because they're strikers.

"I knew it would come with it. I knew there would be a big impact. But I didn't know it would go so negative.

"When I signed, I wasn't used to seeing so many negative comments.

"It was a big change. I was surprised. I didn't know a price tag would change so much for people.

"Maybe they think I have the money. It's not me - I don't have the money. I don't know [the reason for the criticism]. I wish I knew so I could help them get the answer."