New Delhi, India

French midfielder Paul Pogba's elder brother Mathias Pogba recently levelled some shocking allegations against the Juventus star. Mathias accused Pogba of using witchcraft to cast a spell on his France teammate Kylian Mbappe among others.

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Mathias' shocking revelations came after Pogba alleged his brother was part of a blackmail attempt to extort money out of him. Pogba's camp had released a statement about him being blackmailed after Mathias shared a bizarre video on social media where he claimed he had some serious explosive revelations to make about his brother.

Mathias' accusing Pogba of using witchcraft is not the first time sorcery has been discussed in football. There have been several instances in the past when people have claimed to use black magic in football. Ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2014, a Ghanaian witch doctor had claimed to have caused Cristiano Ronaldo a knee injury.

Also Read: Paul Pogba's brother Mathias makes shocking allegations, accuses Juventus star of witchcraft

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When a Ghanaian witch doctor said he caused Ronaldo's injury

Ronaldo was at the peak of his powers and had enjoyed a stellar season with Real Madrid heading into the World Cup in 2014. He was the reigning Ballon d'Or winner and had also helped Real Madrid claim the Champions League title last season. He was establishing his credentials as one of the best in the world and was expected to set the stage on fire at the World Cup.

However, Ronaldo suffered a knee injury in the build-up to the World Cup in Brazil which put his participation in the showpiece event in doubt. A Ghanaian witch doctor claimed he cast a spell on the former Real Madrid star to ensure he either missed the entire World Cup or didn't play against Ghana.

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The Ghanaian witch doctor named Nana Kwaku Bonsam - which translates to 'Devil of Wednesday', had claimed he was 'working on' Ronaldo to make him miss Portugal's last group stage clash against Ghana at the 2014 World Cup. As per a report in The Guardian, the witch doctor claimed he had formulated a special powder from his gods and mixed it with some leaves to place it around an image of Ronaldo.

“I know what Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury is about, I’m working on him,” Bonsam had told a local radio channel in an interview at the time.

“I am very serious about it. Last week, I went around looking for four dogs and I got them to be used in manufacturing a special spirit called Kahwiri Kapam.

“I said it four months ago that I will work on Cristiano Ronaldo seriously and rule him out of the World up or at least prevent him from playing against Ghana and the best thing I can do is to keep him out through injury. This injury can never be cured by any medic, they can never see what is causing the injury because it is spiritual. Today, it is his knee, tomorrow it is his thigh, next day it is something else," he further claimed.

Also Read: French police open probe after Paul Pogba claims his brother is part of a multi-million-euro blackmail attempt

However, the witch doctor's claims proved to be baseless as the FIFA World Cup kicked off in Brazil. Though Ronaldo faced continuous troubles with his fitness, he went on to play all three games for his country in the group stage, including their final encounter against Ghana.

Portugal suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss against Germany in their opening game before drawing 2-2 against the USA as Ronaldo remained goalless in both games. The superstar forward scored an 80th-minute-winner against Ghana in their final group game but the win was not enough to take Portugal to the knockout stages as they bowed out of the tournament.