Dubai: Paul Pogba, one of the world’s top footballers and Juventus’ main transfer target, has sent Eid greetings to his friends in Dubai and around the world through the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
“Assalaam Alaikum everyone, all my Dubai friends and all the Muslims in the world. Just want to wish you Eid Mabrook to everyone,” Pogba says in a video message.
“Keep training, be fit and be safe.”
Winner of the 2018 Fifa World Cup with France, the 27-year-old Pogba is currently with Manchester United, who brought him back to England from Juventus in 2016 for a then-world record transfer fee of €105 million (Dhs 420.5 million) — still the highest paid by an English club.
In recent times, the Frenchman been linked with a transfer away from United, with Juventus and Real Madrid said to be among the most interested in obtaining the services of the influential midfielder.
Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola has been quite vocal that his player has not been happy at United while speculating a possible move elsewhere in Europe. Since the last two summers Pogba has been threatening to move away from Old Trafford, but nothing has transpired.
The latest has been a report that surfaced late on Friday that insisted that United are officially not selling Pogba this summer despite the fact that the Frenchman has suffered from recurring injuries while restricting him to just eight appearances so far this season.
But with the entry of Portuguese Bruno Fernandes, Pogba is being seen as the crucial cog in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans of seeing as an ideal feeding line for striker Marcus Rashford when the English Premier League (EPL) returns for the final nine fixtures of the season.
A regular visitor to Dubai, Pogba is the latest football star to send out a message to his friends and fans. He joins a list that includes Barcelona’s Croatian ace Ivan Rakitic, Real Madrid’s French striker Karim Benzema and Borussia Dortmund’s Achraf Hakimi, who had earlier sent messages in support of DSC’s ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ campaign, that was launched by the Council following the pandemic.
Others backing the DSC campaign are Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, former Spain international Michel Salgado, rising Portuguese star Joao Felix along with greats like Luis Figo of Portugal, Brazil’s Roberto Carlos, Carles Puyol of Spain, Italy’s Gennaro Gattuso and Frenchman Nicolas Anelka.
As part of the campaign, DSC has also linked up with some of the leading brands from UAE’s fitness industry to offer free daily virtual fitness classes, led by certified fitness trainers. The DSC has also organised a number of virtual sporting events and webinars under the ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ initiative over the past few weeks, including the world’s first ‘Marathon at Home’, and a Virtual Tour Challenge for cycling enthusiasts.
