In a stunning revelation that's set to send shockwaves through the football world, French icon Marcel Desailly has singled out Paul Pogba as Manchester United's most disastrous signing, even placing him above Lionel Messi in his surprising assessment of football's biggest disappointments.
The Dream Team That Raised Eyebrows
Desailly, renowned for his uncompromising defending and World Cup-winning pedigree, constructed his ultimate fantasy football eleven during a recent interview. While the inclusion of modern greats like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé raised few eyebrows, it was his scathing assessment of Paul Pogba that truly captured attention.
The former Chelsea defender didn't mince words when discussing Pogba's second stint at Old Trafford, labelling the French midfielder's £89 million return from Juventus as an unmitigated failure that never delivered on its enormous promise.
Pogba Versus Messi: The Unexpected Comparison
Perhaps most surprisingly, Desailly positioned Pogba's Manchester United failure as more significant than Lionel Messi's exclusion from his dream team. While acknowledging Messi's unparalleled talent, Desailly suggested that Pogba's unfulfilled potential at United represented a greater footballing tragedy.
"This isn't just about talent," Desailly implied through his selections, "it's about expectation versus reality, and nobody embodied that gap more dramatically than Pogba in a United shirt."
The Weight of Expectations
When Pogba returned to Manchester in 2016, he was heralded as the catalyst that would restore United to their former glory. The world-record fee came with astronomical expectations, but despite flashes of brilliance, the midfielder never consistently reproduced the form that made him a star at Juventus.
- Inconsistent performances despite obvious talent
- Frequent injury struggles hampering momentum
- Failure to lead United to Premier League glory
- Constant speculation surrounding his future
The statistics tell a sobering story: while Pogba managed 39 goals and 51 assists across 226 appearances, his impact rarely matched the transformative effect expected of a player of his calibre and price tag.
Desailly's Credibility in Criticism
As a former World Cup and Champions League winner, Desailly's opinions carry significant weight in football circles. His own successful career at the highest level, including spells at Milan and Chelsea, gives him unique insight into what separates truly great players from merely talented ones.
His dream team selection serves as more than just fantasy football—it's a statement about consistency, mentality, and delivering when it matters most.
The Legacy of United's Record Signing
Pogba's departure from Old Trafford in 2022 marked the end of an era that promised so much but delivered relatively little. His return to Juventus felt like an admission that the ambitious project had failed for both player and club.
Desailly's comments will undoubtedly reignite debate about Pogba's true standing in the modern game and whether his undeniable talent was ultimately overshadowed by unfulfilled potential.
For Manchester United fans, the assessment serves as a painful reminder of a transfer that symbolized their club's struggles in the post-Ferguson era—big spending without corresponding success, and superstar signings who failed to elevate the team to former glories.
