Manchester United star Paul Pogba on coping in the city: We can't let bomb attack ruin our way of life
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Paul Pogba has opened up about the difficulty of being a Muslim living in Manchester following the bomb attack on the city last month, and insists the terrorists cannot be allowed to win.
In an interview for the July/August issue of Esquire magazine, the Manchester United star also reflected on the recent death of his father Fassou at the age of 79.Ā
Pogba inspired United to victory in the Europa League final over Ajax on May 24 - two days after a lone bomber killed 22 people and injured many more following an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.Ā
Manchester United star Paul Pogba has opened up about living in the city as a Muslim following the devastating bomb attack on the city in May
Speaking to Esquire magazine, the Frenchman insisted the terrorists can not be allowed to win
The 24-year-old France midfielder dedicated Unitedās win to the victims and believes the atrocity - and similar attacks in London - have nothing to do with religion.
Pogba, who made a pilgrimage to the holy site of Mecca at the end of the season, said: āItās a very difficult moment but you cannot give up. We canāt let them get in our heads - we have to fight for it.
āSad things happen in life but you cannot stop living. You cannot kill a human being. To kill a human being - itās something crazy, so I donāt want to put religion on it.
āThis is not Islam and everybody knows that. I wonāt be the only one saying that.āĀ
The Frenchman celebrates with the Europa League trophy following United's triumph - Pogba dedicated the victory to the Manchester bomb victims
The 24-year-old made a pilgrimage to the holy site of Mecca at the end of the season
Since moving to United from Juventus for a world record fee last summer, Pogba has become known for his fun-loving attitude, dance routines and colourful hairstyles. He says that the death of his father less than two weeks before the final in Stockholm was a reminder that life is to be enjoyed.
āWhen you lose someone you love, you donāt think the same way,ā he added. āThatās why I say I enjoy life, because it goes very fast. I remember when I was talking to my dad and now heās not here. He was a very strong man, very stubborn as well. He fought, but at his age itās not easy.
āNo, he was a very good man, a very good dad and Iām proud to be his son.
āHe was one of the funniest guys ever, so funny. Every time you had time with him you were laughing. Very clever as well, because he was a professor. You have to remember the happy things.āĀ
Red Devils midfielder posted this photo of himself alongside his father Fassou back in March
Looking back on his first season as the most expensive player in world football, Pogba insisted the Ā£89million price tag did not affect his performances.
āAfter one week, I forgot,ā he said. āItās people that reminded me. Because, at the end of the day, when you die, the most expensive and the less expensive, they go in the same grave. So I donāt even think about it.ā
He also deflected criticism of his and Unitedās performances last season, pointing to the three trophies won under Jose Mourinho in the managerās first season at Old Trafford as justification for the way they played.
āI accept that we didnāt play well, we didnāt do this, we didnāt do that,ā he said. āI know what we did ā we won three trophies. Thatās all I know. And thatās all that matters.
āYou can be the best team in the world, you can play great football and you win zero trophies. And who remembers them? No one. Right?āĀ
Ā Pogba re-joined United for Ā£89m and became the most expensive player in world football
United received only Ā£800,000 in compensation for Pogba when he left to seek first-team opportunities at Juventus in 2012.
He maintains it was purely his desire to play football that led him to leave against Sir Alex Fergusonās wishes ā and admits he couldnāt understand the former United bossās accent when he first arrived from France at the age of 16.
āNo! No, I couldnāt. At first, I couldnāt,ā he said. āI couldnāt even understand my teammates with their Mancunian accents. My friends right now, they laugh at me. They say, āOh, I remember the first days you couldnāt speak and now ā you speak Mancunian with the accent!ā So itās funny.
Ā Pogba left Manchester in 2012 in search of first-team football and shined at Juventus
āI left Manchester to play. Thatās all I wanted. Even though I was young, I felt I could play now and I didnāt want to wait.
āSo if it wasnāt with Manchester it would be with someone else. But in my mind, I knew, āItās not finished, I might come backā.
āMy mum told me, āYouāll come back one dayā. And here I am: having a haircut in Manchester.ā
Read the full interview in Esquire's July/August 2017 issue ā on sale now. Also available as a digital edition.
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