PAUL POGBA last left the manager’s office at Manchester United in floods of tears.
Devastated at what he felt was unfair treatment by Sir Alex Ferguson, the young Frenchman stalked out, turning his back on the Scot and vowing never to return.
In the next few days, though, Pogba will walk back in, shake a smiling Jose Mourinho by the hand, and sign the world record deal to make him a United player for the second time.
What Fergie will make of it all is one to ponder. After all, the former Laird of Old Trafford was famously a member of the “never apologise, never show weakness, never hint at regret” school of thought.
But Mourinho’s determination to bring Pogba back to United, to make him the cornerstone of the side he is seeking to build and with which to conquer, has been the hallmark of the summer.
In Pogba, Mourinho sees a player with his own indelible mark.
A winner. A leader. A force of nature.
And, in truth, someone whose journey from US Roissy-en-Brie to Torce, Le Havre, United, Juventus and Old Trafford again has seen him go from a “normal player” to the most expensive footballer on earth.
Watching Pogba parade across social media platforms, flaunting his wealth, privilege, fast cars, slicker haircuts and linked with a revolving castlist of glamorous girlfriends – he is reported to have recently starting seeing Cameroonian singer Dencia – it is a long way from his roots.
Roissy, a sleepy, middle-class suburb to the east of Paris, was where Pogba grew up, with his mother Yeo and twin brothers Mathias and Florentin – both future professionals themselves – in a 12th floor flat.
Perhaps their love of the game came from their father Fassou Antoine, who separated from their mother when the children were young but still lived nearby.
Young Paul would go to stay with his Guinean-born dad at weekends and they would watch games together – particularly Marseilles.
Together they would watch videos of Fassou’s favourite players – Ronaldinho and Jean Pierre Papin – and then try to practice the skills out on the pitch.
He rarely speaks to the media but in an interview four years ago he said: “When I hear people talk about Paul and my other sons, I know I did my job as a father.”
The Pogba brothers would play in the small playground in the Renarderie estate with basketball hoops and football goals.
It sits next to the RER commuter line into Paris – and these days it is adorned with a huge mural of Roissy’s favourite son.
Playing with older boys meant he got kicked a lot – but also that he learned how to handle himself.
Mathias went on to play for Crewe, Wrexham and Crawley while Florentin was a defender for Saint Etienne.
It was eventually obvious that it was Paul who was the one to watch – although not immediately.
In his first few years at his local club Roissy, he did not really stand out according to his first coach Sambou Tati.
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Tati said: “This is where it all began. Paul came here at six, seven years old and he was just a normal player.
“He used to come along with his older brothers. They were very good players too.”
“It was at ten or eleven that he started to stand out. You could see he had more character than other kids his age.
“He always wanted to win. At 10, he had already scored lots of goals, and the whole game went through him.”
Word was starting to get round about Pogba jnr and Le Havre sent scouts to Roissy’s home ground – the Stade Paul Bessuard – when he was just 12.
It was US Torcy who eventually took him at the age of 14 – but he will never forget his seven years with his first club and the start they gave him.
Several of Pogba’s club shirts hang on the walls of Tati’s office – including the last one he ever wore for Roissy. “To my first ever Dream Team” it says.
His coach waved him goodbye with a heavy heart – but felt it was the right thing to do – as he needed a club with better facilities and a higher level.
He had outgrown Roissy and similarly it became obvious he was too good to be playing for Torcy.
Pogba joined his first professional club – Le Havre – in 2007 and was soon made captain of their Under 16 team, while establishing himself in his country’s youth set-up.
On a personal front he drifted away from his brothers and father, meaning mum Yeo took on a more influential role.
A devout Muslim, she was advising Paul and stood up to Lyon owner Jean Michel Aulas when they tried to sign him in 2009.
Instead they decided on a controversial move to Old Trafford, a deal which stunned Le Havre who thought they had him tied down.
The French club accused United of paying his family to entice him to move, taking the “poaching” case all the way to Fifa – amid threats of pushing for a transfer ban – before a legal agreement was finally made to end the dispute.
That raised eyebrows at Torcy though – who felt Le Havre had acted in a similar way two years earlier.
Yeo only wanted what was best for her boy though and she was also key to his departure from United four years ago.
When Pogba was not getting much of a chance at United and his contract was running down, she made her feelings known to Alex Ferguson.
The legendary former boss turned up at her house for a chat – but by then the damage was already done.
Yeo recalled last month: ‘We got together with Paul’s brothers and decided that he would not sign a new deal.
“Ferguson punished him by never playing Paul. He was alone. He even cried in Ferguson’s office for the way he was treated.”
Former United defender Rio Ferdinand described that decision by Fergie as “a huge, huge error”, adding: “The thing that stood out for me when I first met him other than he ability was his personality. This kid wants to be the best.”
So it was off to Juventus in summer 2012 and what a piece of business that turned out to be for the Italian giants, who got him for just £800,000.
After four league titles and four cup wins they said their goodbyes this week having made a £100 million profit on him.
Now he is back at Old Trafford – perhaps with something to prove and with the burden of that huge price tag around his neck.
How will that affect him? Not at all, according to his old coach Tati, who said: “Paul doesn’t feel pressure – he doesn’t even know the word.”
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