Paul Pogba is a French professional footballer of Guinean descent who plays midfielder for the Juventus football club and the France national team.
While he primarily plays as a central midfielder, he can play as a left-winger, defensive midfielder, and attacking midfielder.
He is also known for his creative and skilled play and goal-scoring capabilities. Yet, despite his fame and success, Paul Pogba is deeply connected with his ethnic roots and loves his family.
That said, read on to find out more about Paul Pogba’s ethnic background and nationality.
Paul Pogba is of Guinea descent
Paul Labile Pogba was born on 15 March 1993 in Lagyn-sur-Marne, a small territorial division in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. He was born to Yeo Pogba and Fassou Antonie Pogba, immigrants from Guinea.
Paul Pogba’s ethnic background is Guinean, where his parents had their first-born twin sons, Floretin and Mathias Pobga, before migrating to France months after their birth.
Paul Pogba’s parents’ nationality is Guinean
Paul Pogba’s parents are Fassou Antonie and Yeo Pogba, both Guineans. They migrated to France before he was born. Pogba’s father, Fassou Antonie Pogba, was a professional footballer in Guinea before migrating to France.
His mother, Yeo Yogba, previously worked as a nurse and was passionate about football. She plays an ambassador role in the Guinea FA Cup.
Pogba’s parents moved to Roissy-en-Brie in France in 1991. However, Yeo and Fassou filed for a divorce in 1996, 3 years after Pogba was born.
Fassou Antoine later passed on in May 2019 at 79 after suffering from a long-term illness. This forced Yeo Pogba to raise her three children single-handedly while supporting their football careers. Hence, she earned the name “super mom” and has been the greatest source of inspiration for Pogba and his brothers.
Paul Pogba has twin siblings, and they are also footballers
Paul Pogba is the youngest of three siblings. His older twin brothers, Florentin and Mathias Pogba, were born in Guinea. They are also footballers and play for the Guinean national team.
Florentin Pogba plays as a defender for the Indian Super League Club ATK Mohun Bagan, while Mathias Pogba plays as a forward for ASM Belfort.
In 2017, Florentin Pogba and Paul Pogba played off in the Europa League tie where he played for the Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne and Paul played for Manchester United.
The game ended with Manchester United winning the first and second leg at 1-0, leading to the team progressing to the next round.
The brothers later swapped shirts at the end of both games, which ensued an emotional moment between the two.
Pogba is a Muslim, but he grew up as a Christian
Pogba is a Muslim and has been devoted to the religion throughout his life. However, his ethnic background also involves different faiths, as he grew up a Christian and went to church when he was little.
He converted to Islam after praying with his friends and observing the monthly Ramadhan. Since then, he fasts yearly as per tradition.
Pogba often speaks about how important his steadfast faith is in his life and career, making him successful and humble.
The footballer is married to Zulay Salaues, who was brought up as a Christian but is believed to have converted to Islam.
Pogba has played for multiple youth football teams during his childhood
Growing up, Pogba has always been an Arsenal fan and enjoyed watching their games. His love for football saw him begin his career when he was six and played for the US Roissy-en-Brie, a football club a few miles south of his hometown.
He played for US Roissy-en-Brie for seven seasons before joining US Torcy, which was an under-13 team as the team’s captain.
One season later, he joined a professional club called Le Harve in Normandy, France, where he was positioned as the captain of the under-16 team.
He led the team to win the second position in the Championnat National Des 16 Ans domestic league behind Lens in the final group phase.
Pogba’s performances made him a youth international player for his country. In 2009, he announced that he was leaving Le Harve to join the Manchester United youth academy, stating that he and his parents agreed.
He was officially transferred to Manchester United on 7 October 2009 and played for the academy until the 2011-12 season, where he started playing for the senior team.
Paul Pogba is multilingual
Paul Pogba is fluent in four languages and is mainly conversant in his native language French. He also speaks Italian, English, and Spanish, which he learned while playing football in other countries.
He has occasionally served as a translator for his coaches and teammates.
