Paul Pogba, player of Juventus Turin, denied being a "cheat" and stated that he deserved a punishment for his mistake, but that it should not have been four years.

The French midfielder was suspended for four years for consuming DHEA, but his sentence was reduced to twelve months, which will expire in March of next year, allowing him to return to football at the age of 31.

"I take responsibility for what happened. I took a supplement and didn’t check it three times, even though it came from a professional. If I had to be punished, I accept it, but it shouldn’t have been four years. I accept twelve months," Pogba said in an interview with Sky Sports.

"When people saw that this happened, they knew it wasn’t intentional. That’s the truth. I’m a sincere person and I’m not a cheat. I like to win fairly. I don’t like to lose, but I’m not a cheat," the Frenchman added.

Pogba mentioned that upon receiving the sanction, he briefly considered retirement, but quickly dismissed the idea.

"My wife was with me and told me that we would get through this and that I would play again. That encouraged me to move forward," he pointed out.

The midfielder assured that the first step is to return to training with Juventus, get back in shape, and see what the Turin team has in mind.