While it didn't seem plausible to sour his relationship with Manchester United any further, Paul Pogba 's latest ego-driven move has laid bare why his second spell at the club failed.
The 29-year-old will officially leave Old Trafford when his contract expires on June 30 and is in the process of choosing his next destination, believed to be Paris Saint-Germain or another return to a former employer, Juventus. In the meantime, however, Pogba has kept himself in English football's headlines by adding to his long list of United-related moans in his new documentary, aptly titled 'The Pogmentary'.
In the first episode of a five-part series, the Frenchman reveals his first thoughts after the Red Devils signed Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned to Manchester from Juventus like Pogba had done for a whopping £89 million five years prior. Unlike the Portuguese superstar, though, Pogba's United career will go down as a categoric failure in the history books.
Critics claim that the midfielders self-interest on and off the pitch was the primary reason behind his pight, and it's difficult to disagree considering his reaction to Ronaldo's return. Rather than think about the Red Devils' prospects of success with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in their ranks, Pogba was focussed of how Ronaldo's sensational homecoming could boost his chances of personal achievements and living the glamorous lifestyle which they bring.
"The first thing I thought, 'how do you train with a Ballon d'Or winner?'," United's calamitous club-record signing revealed. "It's a good challenge to see him train, what he does, what's life like for a Ballon d'Or winner?"
Although there's often plenty of conjecture involved in the debate surrounding Pogba's rollercoaster six years back in Manchester, no one can argue that his stock dropped when Ronaldo rocked up, failing to show that he'd learned anything from the 37-year-old where it mattered most: on the pitch.
Even in his final game as Old Trafford - a narrow 3-2 victory over bottom dwellers Norwich City - Ronaldo outshone Pogba by scoring a hat-trick, as the latter received a round of boos from home fans after interim manager Ralf Rangnick substituted him following a typically anonymous performance.
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Ironically, when Pogba selects his next club, he'll be further away from winning a Ballon d'Or than when he returned to the Theatre of Dreams as a 22-year-old in 2016, fresh from being named in UEFA Team of the Year. Trophies may come easier at PSG or Juventus, but individual accolades on Ronaldo's level can only be described as a pipe dream right now.
Unless his wealth of talent can be matched by his ex-teammates' relentless work ethic on a consistent basis, it'll always be a case of what might've been with Pogba. Maybe the documentary will win some awards, though.
