Paul Pogba goes on Islamic pilgrimage to thank Allah for a good season

Barely a week after his club won the Europa League, Paul Pogba, the Manchester United and French international posted on his instagram handle that he was on his way ‘‘to say thank you’‘ for the 2016/2017 season.

That piece of information attracted over 2.1 million likes and over 1,500 comments. He did not drop any hints of where he was headed until on Sunday (May 28) when he posted a photo and video of himself in the Islamic Holy City of Makkah on his social media handles.

One photo he posted on Twitter showed him on one of the storeys overlooking the Holy mosque called Al-Kabah – the picture bore a Ramadan message, ‘‘Ramadan Kareem.’‘ He was wrapped in the white two piece cloth that Muslim male pilgrims use when on pilgrimage.

The photo also showed a sea of people circumambulating the Kabah. Most people throng Makkah in the month of Ramadan to perform the lesser pilgrimage – Umrah, which is done all year round. The main pilgrimage (hajj) takes place in Dhul Hijjah – the last month of the Islamic calender.

Ramadan Kareem 🕋🌙 Bon Ramadan #makkah #blessed pic.twitter.com/B9OaobKTU8

— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) May 28, 2017

Another picture on instagram showed him within close proximity to the Holy mosque. He captioned the photo, ‘‘Most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my life,’‘ in apparent reference to the Kabbah.

That photo has been liked over 1.6 million times. Then he posted a 9-seconds video with a Quranic recitation in the background – on both Facebook (3 million views, about 56,000 shares) and Instagram (3.9 million views).

Most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my life 🕋🙏🏾

A post shared by Paul Labile Pogba (@paulpogba) on May 28, 2017 at 4:59am PDT

What is Paul Pogba thanking Allah for?

The 24-year-old rejoined Manchester United from Juventus for a world record deal of 100 million pounds. The deal came with huge expectations and he was touted as the man to turn around United’s horrible run in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era.

But for a few injury spells, he managed for large portions of the season to play a crucial role in Jose Mourinho’s midfield. He scored some crucial goals and also made effective contributions to the side.

He was at the heart of affairs when Manchester United won the League Cup and recently was on the score sheet as United beat Ajax to lift the UEFA Europa League for the first time in the club’s history.