Manchester United star Paul Pogba on racism in football: An Italian fan made monkey noises at me, so I gave him my shirt

Manchester United star Paul Pogba on racism in football: An Italian fan made monkey noises at me, so I gave him my shirt
Paul Pogba has revealed he once gave his Juventus shirt to a fan who was racially abusing him in Italy – and was then applauded by the supporter.The Manchester United star opened up on his career, personal life and his experiences with racism in football in a new podcast series from The Times.getty4

Pogba spoke about his life inside and outside of football, including his upbringing and Muslim faith

Man Utd manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shows off his moves as he practices in his garage After a season in which racism has been a major talking point in English football, Pogba explained his own very different, almost novel, approach to tackling the abuse he and other players face on the pitch.That approach? Smiling.Footballers in England and Wales took matters into their own hands earlier this season when they boycotted social media over the lack of action taken against racist abuse online.It came after multiple England players were subject to racial chanting during their Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro back in March.getty4

Raheem Sterling has become a key figure in football’s fight against racism

Meanwhile, in April, Juventus teenagerMoise Kean suffered racial abuse during a Serie A match against Cagliari, after which he was accused by team-mate Leonardo Bonucci of being partly to blame as he provoked opposition fans.Ive experienced it and its really sad to see that on the football pitch, Pogba said to The Times’ chief sports writer Matt Dickinson.The fans that do that, they have even black people in their team, so to do something like that is really low.They dont respect the player, and they dont even respect the player in their own team.I dont know if theyre racist or ignorant or they just dont want you to perform well.I hear a lot of things but I dont react, I just smile.Alan Brazil and Lawrence Dallaglio discuss Pogba insisting that he won't change his personality or playing style I have a story: once we had a game against Fiorentina and I just came out of the bench and some people were doing the monkey sound, and I said why?So I just gave him my shirt and they were really happy, and then at the end they applauded me.My reaction? I just pray for them and make people understand we just enjoy sport and enjoy playing football. I understand they want their team to win, but there are different ways to attract attention. To do something like that, and in 2019, is really low.The world is beautiful with a lot of colours and a lot of cultures.getty4

Pogba says he was racially abused in Italy, but learned to smile and do his talking on the pitch

When I speak about racism, I think its ignorance. And you cant really change something because its been there for a long time.You try to speak about it, but it just carries on. I dont think you can change that in people.Im sad about it, Im not angry. Im happy with myself. I have a Chinese friend, an Italian agent, a Brazilian lawyer, a Bolivian wife, Im French and Guinean. All my life its a different culture.Im just happy with myself, I enjoy playing football, I enjoy giving a smile to people. Thats it, thats all I need in life. Dont think about people who hate, because they just want to pull you back.getty4

Juventus striker Moise Kean was racially abused earlier this season

Much has been discussed about the best way to combat racism in football, with players often saying they would walk off the pitch if they heard any abuse from the stands.Pogba, however, does not agree with leaving the field and says his solution would be to answer the abusers on the pitch instead.The Man United star added: When I see the reaction of others, I just think about it and think, would I do that or not?When they do it again, what are you going to say? Are you going to leave the pitch? No!If you want to play, you play. Try to score for your team, try to win.At the end they will come after the game and ask for a picture.

Listen to the LifeTimes podcast with Paul Pogba IN FULL below…

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