Pogba marked by high price tag: "Maybe they think I have the money..."
Moving for a world-record fee as a midfielder made Paul Pogba the target of criticism, the Manchester United midfielder and Real Madrid target believes.
Paul Pogba feels he has been "judged differently" due to the size of the fee that took him back to Manchester United, admitting he was surprised by the response. World Cup winner Pogba has split opinions since returning to Old Trafford, where he previously starred for the United academy, in a 100 million euro move from Juventus in 2016.
A lot to live up to
The deal broke the world transfer record at the time and the 26-year-old felt there was huge scrutiny regarding his performances as a result. The likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé have since moved for greater sums, yet Pogba does not believe the reaction has been the same because of their goalscoring exploits.
"Because it was the biggest transfer in history at the time, you get judged differently," he told the LifeTimes podcast. "They expect more from you because of the price tag. "A good game would be a normal game. A top game would be a good game."
Contraints of being a big money signing
Pogba added: "It's a big amount. It went down when other transfers came, so it's fine. I think it's also because I'm a midfielder. People see more strikers because they score goals, so that's why it made such a big impact. I don't think [Neymar and Mbappe] get it because they're strikers. I knew it would come with it. I knew there would be a big impact. But I didn't know it would go so negative. When I signed, I wasn't used to seeing so many negative comments. It was a big change. I was surprised. I didn't know a price tag would change so much for people. Maybe they think I have the money. It's not me - I don't have the money. I don't know [the reason for the criticism]. I wish I knew so I could help them get the answer."