The Pogmentary Reveals What Mino Raiola Told Paul Pogba Before Leaving Manchester United

Paul Pogba’s documentary, titled “The Pogmentary” sheds new light on his troubled time at Manchester United.

In a summer of change at Manchester United, Pogba is one of six first first team players departing the club.

Arguably the most high profile name among the six, his departure does not create much of a fuss within the club and among the fans.

Pogba is quite possibly the most polarising figure in the history of the club. The mere mention of his name divides opinions.

Anything he says or does becomes a trending topic within seconds.

The most heated discourse regarding Pogba is how he seems to be a much better player when playing for the French National team.

This was strongly pointed out by the late Mino Raiola in preview clips of “The Pogmentary”

Mino said: “We must try to make you feel as good as you’re with the French national team. You’re different with them. You understand?

Alamy

"With the France team, you’re the real Pogba. The Pogba of Juventus. With Manchester, there’s something blocking you.”

The most simple answer to this is, of course, the fact that the French national team has better players around Pogba, especially in midfield. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Pogba’s partner in the middle of the pitch was one N’Golo Kante.

With a more defensive minded partner in Kante, Pogba was given more licence to attack. He scored a goal in the final and led his team to victory.

At United, “unlocking” Pogba has become a necessity that was set to be solved with the signing of Nemanja Matic in 2017. After some time though, it was clear to see that the Serbian was past his prime and no longer possessed the physical prowess to cover for Pogba’s weakness in the defensive side of the game. 

Aside from the personnel, the key difference between Pogba at club and national team level is that he seems much happier when he’s with the French national team.

Pogba is a very expressive person and he certainly knows how to express himself. When he is in the mood, you know that he will play well.

Paul Pogba celebrating his heroics against Manchester City in 2018. (Alamy)

However, he has been through some tough times under the two managers he’s played for at United since his return.

Pogba’s early relationship with Jose Mourinho seems like the start of a long and glorious partnership. The Portuguese brought him in for a world record fee to be the main man of his project at United.

The pair won the EFL Cup and Europa League in their first season together, with Pogba scoring the opening goal in the final. Pogba even captained the club at the start of the 2018/19 season.

However, it didn't take long before things went south. An Instagram Story incident led to the infamous training ground bust-up. 

After a difficult relationship with Jose, Pogba was able to showcase the best version of himself under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. With Ole’s 4-3-3 system during his interim stint, Pogba had more defensive security behind him and played further forward. The 2018/19 season became his most productive season for United in terms of goals and assists.

Pogba started the 2019/20 season brightly but got injured and missed large parts of the season to injury. When he returned just in time for Project Restart, the French midfielder started a wonderful partnership with new signing Bruno Fernandes.

Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in 2019/20. (Alamy)

With two elite creators on his team, Solskjaer led his team to the Europa League final the following season. Unfortunately, United fell short against Villarreal and everything went downhill since.

Ultimately, Raiola’s words were spot on. Pogba is indeed a better version of himself when he is playing for his national team. United did not manage to build the team around Pogba and surround him with players that can cover his weaknesses. However, it is also true that Pogba has not been consistent enough for United.

There were games when he looked like the best midfielder in the league, and there were times when he was just drifting through games. For what it’s worth, it is best for both parties to go their separate ways.