Paul Pogba made an emotional return to competitive football on Saturday as the Monaco midfielder described his long awaited debut for the club as a moment of relief and gratitude after more than two years out through a doping ban.
The 32 year old, who joined Monaco on a free transfer in June, had not played a competitive match since September 2023. Pogba received a four year suspension in February 2024 after testing positive for the banned substance DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels, although the ban was reduced to 18 months following an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Having suffered a right ankle injury that delayed his comeback last month, Pogba finally returned in the 85th minute of Monaco’s 4–1 defeat at Rennes. The midfielder was greeted with a standing ovation at Roazhon Park, a moment he admitted he never expected.
“Seeing the crowd rise and applaud, I never imagined that would happen,” Pogba told reporters. “I am relieved to be playing football again, the thing I love most in the world. But there is still work to do to get back to full fitness and be able to play 90 minutes. If I do not perform well at Monaco, I can forget about the French national team.
“I believe in myself and in my qualities, and since I knew I had done nothing wrong and it was not my fault, I never lost hope.”
