Former Manchester United and current Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba was nicknamed Nelson Mandela by his former teammates.
It is reported the name came about after the French international confronted Sir Alex Ferguson after he decided to bring back the legendary Paul Scholes to the club.
“I never disrespected Sir Alex Ferguson, if anything it is the opposite, because I said things to his face,” he told France Football.
“When I knew of Paul Scholes’ return I understood that I would find it difficult to play and that I had to leave United.
“Ferguson told me that in Italy there is a lot of racism and that the fans were not like the Premier League’s. I told him that there was no problem for me so I ended up on the team’s fringes.
“My team-mates gave me the nickname of Nelson Mandela because I was opposed to Ferguson. But I would say no to Obama too.
“Conte, instead, told me that age is not important and that the best players would play. I want to become the best in the world and win the Ballon d’Or.”
The 20-year-old made 37 appearances for Juventus on the season, scoring 5 goals in the process
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