‘I never lost hope’: Paul Pogba returns from football wilderness after 2 years to debut for Monaco

Pogba had received a four-year ban in February 2024 after testing positive for banned substance DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

France's Paul Pogba celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the final match between France and Croatia at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, July 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

After more than two years in footballing wilderness, former Manchester United and Juventus player Paul Pogba returned to the football pitch for Monaco on Saturday. Pogba who joined the Ligue 1 side on a free transfer in June, had not played a competitive match since September 2023.

Pogba had received a four-year ban in February 2024 after testing positive for banned substance DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The 32-year-old had suffered another setback when he had a right ankle injury last month which delayed his on-field return.

On Saturday, the World Cup winner came on in the 85th minute to a standing ovation but couldn’t prevent his side from losing 4-1 to Rennes.

“Seeing the crowd rise and applaud, I never imagined that would happen. I’m relieved to be playing football again, the thing I love most in the world. But there’s still work to do to get back to full fitness and be able to play 90 minutes… If I don’t 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”

Pogba has several controversies. An extortion attempt saw him forced to make an admission following accusations from his brother, Mathias, that he had used a witch doctor to place a curse on Kylian Mbappe before PSG’s Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester United in 2019. The extortion dated back to the midfielder’s time at Old Trafford. In March 2022 he was kidnapped by masked men, who demanded a payment of 13m euros (£11.3m).

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Pogba was keen to leave the difficult chapter behind. “It is all linked,” he had said at his presentation, which he began by explaining his tears upon signing for Monaco. “If the mind is good, it will go well on the pitch. It is very rare to see me cry like that, so I hope you enjoyed it. There were so many images that came into my mind. We know the doping story, my injury… everything came back to me during the signing and I just couldn’t hold it back. It was a moment of joy.”

“I spoke with multiple people (during his wilderness) who helped me to see things in the present, to not think about the past or the future,” he added. “I wanted my kids to see me on the pitch – my dream is to see my kids celebrate one of my goals with a dab,” he had joked.