Controversies around certain substances in the world of sports are inevitable, whether due to potential performance enhancement or the harm caused by the substances. The recent four-year suspension of Paul Pogba for allegedly mistakenly consuming testosterone prompts a reflection on other notable cases of soccer players who faced similar situations.

Diego Maradona

Undoubtedly the most iconic player who experienced such situations is "El Pelusa." The Argentine legend had substance-related issues on two occasions in his career. The first incident occurred in March 1991 when he tested positive for cocaine during a Serie A match. The second and more memorable one was during the 1994 USA World Cup, where Maradona had to leave the tournament after testing positive for ephedrine.

Paolo Guerrero

The historic Peruvian player tested positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine in October 2017. This almost led to him missing the 2018 World Cup, where Peru qualified for the first time in 36 years. Guerrero argued that it was due to consuming coca tea, resulting in the lifting of the suspension.

Yaya Touré

In February 2011, while playing for Manchester City, midfielder Yaya Touré took weight loss pills containing prohibited substances. As a result, he was suspended from playing for six months.

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Pep Guardiola

Current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola also faced such a problem during his playing days. In 2001, during his stint with Brescia in Serie A, the Catalan tested positive for nandrolone.

André Onana

More recently, other players, such as the current Manchester United goalkeeper, faced doping situations. During his time with Ajax, André Onana received an eight-month suspension for testing positive for furosemide.