Mathias Pogba

Mathias Pogba

Pogba playing for Wrexham in 2011
Personal information
Full name Mathias Fassou Pogba[1]
Date of birth (1990-08-19) 19 August 1990
Place of birth Conakry, Guinea
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
 Partick Thistle
Number 99
Youth career
2007–2009 Celta Vigo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2009–2010 Quimper 19 (2)
2010–2012 Wrexham 68 (15)
2012–2014 Crewe Alexandra 56 (17)
2014–2015 Pescara 4 (0)
2015 Crawley Town 17 (2)
2015– Partick Thistle 14 (1)
National team‡
2013– Guinea 2 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:03, 2 January 2016 (UTC).
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:15, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

Mathias Fassou Pogba (born 19 August 1990) is a Guinean professional footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premiership club Partick Thistle. Having started his career as a youth at Celta Vigo, Pogba has previously had spells in the English leagues with Wrexham and Crewe Alexandra, before moving to Serie B side Pescara and subsequently returned to England with Crawley Town.

Club career

Early career

After growing up in Paris, Pogba joined the youth system at Spanish side Celta Vigo along with his twin brother Florentin.[2] The pair left the club in 2009, stating their time there were difficult, citing language barriers, living abroad and away from his family[3] and returned to France where he joined fourth division side Quimper, scoring twice in the league during his one season at the club. Pogba later believed that injury “almost cost me my professional career before it had even started”.[3]

Wrexham

In September 2010, Pogba joined Conference National side Wrexham after a successful trial spell in August 2010.[4][5]

Pogba made his Wrexham debut seven days later, coming on as a substitute for Curtis Obeng in the 75th minutes, in a 0–0 draw against Fleetwood Town.[6] It took until 3 January 2011 for Pogba to score his first Wrexham goal, in a 2–0 win over Bath City.[7] Pogba then scored two goals in two games against Cambridge United[8] and Mansfield Town.[9] His fourth goal later came on 22 February 2011, in a 1–0 win over Wimbledon.[10] His scoring form in January soon led Pogba to sign a new contract, keeping him at the club until 2012.[11] Pogba made 29 appearance and scored four times in his first season at Wrexham.

In the 2011–12 season, Pogba played in the first two games, but was then dropped for two matches, due to an off-the-pitch issue.[12] He returned to the first team against Alfreton Town and scored his first goal of the season in a 4–1 win.[13] By the end of December, Pogba had scored a further six times (against Grimsby Town,[14] Hayes & Yeading United,[15] Luton Town,[16] Lincoln City.[17] and two against Gateshead)[18] in 22 appearances. After being sidelined for two games due to fitness,[19] Pogba made his return against Forest Green Rovers, only to be sidelined for the third time after suffering an ankle injury.[20] On his return, Pogba scored in a 4–1 win over Hayes & Yeading United on 18 February 2012.[21] He later added three more goals (against Ebbsfleet United,[22] Darlington[23] and Braintree Town).[24] He was voted the club's young player of the year during the 2011–12 season.[25]

Out of contract at the end of the year, Pogba was offered a new two-year deal by the club,[26] which he rejected in a bid to play football at a higher level. Wrexham boss Andy Morrell criticised Pogba's handling of the situation, describing him as "disrespectful" to the club after not informing them of his intention to leave until 48-hours before the start of the club's pre-season.[27]

Crewe Alexandra

After leaving Wrexham, Pogba signed for Crewe Alexandra on 7 July 2012 on a two-year deal.[28] After scoring eight goals in 11 pre-season friendly matches, Pogba was given the number 9 shirt ahead of the new season.[29]

Pogba quickly made an impact when he scored twice on his debut against Hartlepool in a League Cup first round tie on 11 August.[30] A week later, he scored on his league debut, notching a 78th minute consolation in a 2–1 defeat to Notts County,[31] which Pogba scored two weeks later, in a 5–1 loss against Brentford.[32] However, Pogba suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for the most of September.[33] He made his first team return, coming on as a substitute for AJ Leitch-Smith in the 62nd minute, in a 1–0 loss against Milton Keynes Dons on 29 September 2012.[34] By the end of December, Pogba scored four more league goals in 20 appearances (against Doncaster Rovers,[35] Colchester United,[36] Sheffield United[37] and Oldham Athletic),[38] while scoring two more goals in separate cup competitions against Wycombe Wanderers[39] and Doncaster Rovers.[40] After two months without scoring, Pogba ended his goal drought when he scored in a 2–1 loss against Bournemouth on 12 February 2013.[41] Pogba later added four more goals - one each against Portsmouth,[42] and Colchester United and a brace against MK Dons.[43] However, Pogba suffered a torn thigh that sidelined him for the rest of the season, resulting him having an operation.[44][45] Despite missing out for the Football League Trophy Final and the club's promotion to League One, Pogba made 41 appearance and scoring 16 times (making him the club's top scorer of the 2012–13 season) in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2013–14 season, the club’s head physio Rob Sharp expected Pogba to be fit for the start of pre-season friendlies.[46] Pogba was included in five pre-season matches still in shirt number 9.[47] However, he sustained a medial ligament injury to his right knee during a 2–0 defeat to a Manchester United XI.[48] It was announced that he would be out for at least three months.[49] By the end of October, Pogba returned to light training under supervision from the club's head physio and conditioning coach.[50] While regaining his fitness, Pogba signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him at the club until 2015.[51] By the end of December, he returned to full training to maintain his fitness.[52] Pogba made his first team return, coming on as a substitute for Leitch-Smith in the 62nd minutes, in a 4–2 loss against Rotherham United on 11 January 2014.[53] Pogba then scored his first goal of the 2013–14 season, in a 3–3 draw against Bradford City on 8 February 2014[54] and scored two weeks later, in a 3–1 win over Port Vale.[55] On 22 March 2014 Pogba scored his third goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Gillingham.[56] Pogba later added two more goals towards the final month of the season (against Shrewsbury Town[57] and Preston).[58] Despite an injury-hit 2013–14 season, Pogba made 22 appearances and scored five times.

Ahead of the 2014–15 season, manager Steve Davis was determined that Pogba could play as a central striker,[59] but Pogba wanted to leave Crewe despite the club's attempt to persuade him to stay.[60] Crewe accepted a bid from Pescara.[61] Pogba later explained in The Guardian that he wanted to leave Crewe to step up to new challenges.[3]

Pescara and Crawley Town

Pogba signed for Serie B team Pescara in July 2014, joining his brother Paul of Juventus in Italy for an undisclosed fee.[62] Pogba made his Pescara debut on 28 September 2014, coming on as a substitute for Matteo Politano in the 84th minute, in a 2–1 loss against Catania.[63] After six months at the club, Pogba was released by Pescara, after four appearances and no goals.[64] Pogba said that his time at Pescara wasn't good, as the manager Marco Baroni did not see him play and rarely talked.[65]

Pogba signed for League One team Crawley Town on 4 February 2015 after his release by Pescara.[66] Three days after signing for the club, Pogba made his Crawley Town debut, in a 2–1 loss against Yeovil Town.[67] He scored his first goal for Crawley Town during a 4–3 defeat to Peterborough United on 25 April 2015, ending a 15-game run without scoring.[68] Pogba scored once more in the last game of the season, a 2–1 defeat to Coventry City which resulted in Crawley's relegation from League One. Days later, Pogba left the club.

Partick Thistle

On 3 August 2015, Pogba signed a one-year contract with Scottish Premiership side Partick Thistle, with an option to extend by a further year.[69] Pogba made his Partick Thistle debut, coming on as a substitute for Steven Lawless in the 50th minute, in a 2–0 loss against Celtic five days later.[70] Pogba scored his first Partick Thistle goal in a 1–1 draw with Hamilton on 24 October 2015.[71]

International career

Pogba made his debut for Guinea in an international friendly against Senegal in Paris on 5 February 2013.[72] He came off the bench to play alongside twin brother Florentin Pogba for the final 30 minutes of Guinea's 1–1 draw.[73]

Personal life

Pogba has two brothers who are also professional footballers. His twin brother Florentin, currently plays for French side AS Saint-Étienne and his younger brother Paul plays for the France national football team and Italian side Juventus.[74]

The Pogba brothers grew up in Paris and Mathias remains in contact with his brother, Paul. Mathias and Paul lived together while playing for Wrexham and Manchester United respectively.[65] Pogba was at the Stade de France watching his brother Paul play an international friendly against Germany when the Paris attacks occurred on 13 November 2015.[75]

References

  1. ↑ "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 34. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "Mathias Pogba says "Spanish" style of play drew him to Gresty Road". thisisstaffordshire.co.uk. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Meet Mathias, Paul’s brother and one of three in the footballing family Pogba". The Guardian. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "Wrexham trial for striker Mathias Pogba". BBC Sport. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  5. ↑ "Pogba Available For The First Team". Wrexham F.C. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Wrexham 0-0 Fleetwood Town". BBC Sport. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Wrexham 2 - 0 Bath City". BBC Sport. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "Blue Square Bet Premier: Cambridge United 1 Wrexham FC 3". Daily Post. 22 January 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Mansfield Town 1 - 2 Cambridge United". BBC Sport. 29 January 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  10. ↑ "AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  11. ↑ "Mathias Pogba and Jay Harris in for long haul at Wrexham FC". Daily Post. 29 January 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Wrexham bid to extend their unbeaten run". Daily Post. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Alfreton Town 1-4 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "Grimsby Town 1 - 3 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Hayes & Yeading 0-2 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Luton Town 0-1 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 17 April 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "Wrexham 2 - 1 Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "Wrexham 2-1 Gateshead". BBC Sport. 16 December 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  19. ↑ "Tamworth v Wrexham FC: We’re focused on league says Andy Morrell". Daily Post. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  20. ↑ "Wrexham FC manager Andy Morrell backs Dean Keates to keep taking penalties". Daily Post. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  21. ↑ "Wrexham 4-1 Hayes & Yeading". BBC Sport. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  22. ↑ "Ebbsfleet United 0-5 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  23. ↑ "Darlington 2-4 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 27 March 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  24. ↑ "Wrexham 5-1 Braintree Town". BBC Sport. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  25. ↑ "Neil Ashton cleans up at Wrexham FC’s player of the year awards". Daily Post. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  26. ↑ "Dean Keates and Rob Ogleby sign new Wrexham contracts". BBC Sport. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  27. ↑ "Wrexham boss Andy Morrell accuses Mathias Pogba of disrespect". Daily Post. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  28. ↑ "Crewe Sign Wrexham's Pogba". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 6 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  29. ↑ "Squad Numbers 2012/13". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 31 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  30. ↑ "Crewe Alexandra 5–0 Hartlepool United". BBC. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  31. ↑ "Crewe 1 – 2 Notts County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  32. ↑ "Brentford 5-1 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  33. ↑ "Pogba Boost". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 17 September 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  34. ↑ "Milton Keynes Dons 1 - 0 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  35. ↑ "Doncaster 0-2 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  36. ↑ "Crewe Alexandra 3-2 Colchester". BBC Sport. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  37. ↑ "Sheffield Utd 3-3 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  38. ↑ "Oldham 1-2 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  39. ↑ "Crewe Alexandra 4-1 Wycombe". BBC Sport. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  40. ↑ "Penalty joy for Crewe Alex as they send Doncaster Rovers out of Johnstone’s Paint Trophy". Crewe Chronicle. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  41. ↑ "Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Bournemouth". BBC Sport. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  42. ↑ "Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  43. ↑ "Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Milton Keynes Dons". BBC Sport. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  44. ↑ "Davis To Check On Injury Concerns". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 9 April 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  45. ↑ "Pogba Has Thigh Op". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 7 May 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  46. ↑ "Pogba Expected To Be Fit". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  47. ↑ "New Squad Numbers Revealed". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 18 July 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  48. ↑ "Alex Suffer Pogba Blow". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 2 August 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  49. ↑ "Pogba Out For Months". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 9 August 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  50. ↑ "Pogba Green Light". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 30 October 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  51. ↑ "Pogba Contract Extended". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 6 December 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  52. ↑ "New Year Return For Pogs". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 23 December 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  53. ↑ "Rotherham United 4 - 2 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 11 January 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  54. ↑ "Bradford City 3-3 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  55. ↑ "Port Vale 1-3 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  56. ↑ "Gillingham 1-3 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  57. ↑ "Shrewsbury Town 1-3 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  58. ↑ "Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Preston North End". BBC Sport. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  59. ↑ "Pogs Could Have Central Role". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 2 July 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  60. ↑ "Davis: Pogba wanted out". Sky Sports. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  61. ↑ "Crewe Alexandra: Mathias Pogba exit will raise transfer funds". BBC Sport. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  62. ↑ "Mathias Pogba has joined Serie B side Pescara Calcio for Undisclosed Fee". Crewe Alex Net. 4 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  63. ↑ "Catania, finalmente la prima vittoria: Pescara battuto 2-1" (in Italian). Si24. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  64. ↑ "Pescara, a volte ritornano in biancazzurro: attesa oggi la firma di Andrea Rossi" (in Italian). Abruzzo 24ore.tv. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  65. 1 2 "Partick Thistle new boy Mathias Pogba dreams of teaming up with brothers Paul and Florentin". Daily Record. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  66. ↑ "Mathias Pogba: Crawley Town sign former Crewe striker". BBC Sport. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  67. ↑ "Yeovil Town 2 - 1 Crawley Town". BBC Sport. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  68. ↑ "Peterborough United 4 - 3 Crawley Town". BBC Sport. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  69. ↑ "Mathias Pogba Signs". www.ptfc.co.uk. Partick Thistle F.C. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  70. ↑ "Partick Thistle 0 - 2 Celtic". BBC Sport. 9 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  71. ↑ Partick Thistle 1-1 Hamilton, BBC Sport, 24 October 2015. Retrieved: 25 October 2015.
  72. ↑ "Pogs Makes Guinea Debut". Crewe Alexandra F.C. 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  73. ↑ Smith, Peter (7 February 2013). "Crewe Alexandra: Steve Davis delights at Mathias Pogba's international pride". Evening Sentinel. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  74. ↑ Peter Morse (25 July 2012). "Crewe Alex: Mathias Pogba could be Alex’s new Dele Adebola". Crewe Chronicle. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  75. ↑ Berry, Gavin (2015) Partick Thistle vow to rally round Mathias Pogba after he is caught up in Paris terror attacks watching brother Paul, Daily Record, 16 November 2015.

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