Although he was incredibly skilled and appeared to be a world-beater in moments, the former Manchester United star, who won the World Cup with France, never really shown it on a regular basis.
He has already declared that he will file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), but if it doesn’t work out, he won’t have a club by the time he is allowed to play again, which is August 2027.
Therefore, it will be a significant task for a player to remain healthy and motivated for such a lengthy time given that they haven’t managed to play the equivalent of 22 complete league games in a season since 2018–19.
On BBC Radio 5 Live’s Euro Leagues show, French football journalist Julien Laurens stated: “I remember seeing him as a 15-year-old and he was the best thing I’ve ever seen.”
“He was a true genius, a gift for the next generation.
“He had a successful career, winning the World Cup and four Serie A championships. It’s an excellent career. However, he was so excellent that I believed there was no end.
