Paul Pogba, Manchester United
midfielder has come under heavy criticism for having scored just two goals in
his last 14 games for Manchester United in all competitions. Pogba has been the
main scapegoat for Manchester United's struggles this season. United have
failed to qualify for next season's Champions League after a disappointing 1-1
draw with Huddersfield, a game in which Pogba was hardly impactful.
Notwithstanding, Pogba believes most of
the unwarranted criticism he receives comes from Messi and Ronaldo's incredibly
unique goalscoring feats, which put unrealistic expectations on other players.
The 26-year-old told Icon magazine,
"Football has changed a lot."
“I grew up watching the exploits of
great champions, real legends like [Alessandro] Del Piero, [Luis] Figo,
[Francesco] Totti and many others.
All have been champions, the best in
the world, but perhaps many of them did not achieve more than 20 goals per
season.
"Now the data, the statistics, the
numbers, often seem to have become the only parameter of judgment.
“That, on the one hand, is good, it is
part of the evolution of modern football and the desire to play the ball more
and more.
“But we often tend to forget how
difficult it has always been to score more than 20 goals, even for the big
players.
“And today perhaps even more so, because
the distance between the teams of high level has been reduced, especially in
big competitions.
"Messi and Ronaldo have shown in
recent years: doing what they did, maintaining those stats – that is the
exception, not the norm.
"If an attacker today scores ten
or 15 goals, he is likely to be told that it is not enough. But the player's
work must be judged with perspective.
“You have to remember that someone like
Pavel Nedved won the Ballon d’Or without his team winning the Champions League
or without having scored much himself.
“He was simply the best in his role and
was rewarded for what he was capable of doing on the field.”
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