Pogba returns, emotion, relief and a standing ovation in Monaco comeback

By Maxwell Kumoye with additional report by Reuters 

 

Paul Pogba’s long walk back to football finally ended in an emotional roar on Saturday as the French star made his Monaco debut, his first competitive appearance in more than two years, after a turbulent doping ban and a gruelling fight to reclaim his career.

The 32-year-old midfielder, signed on a free in June, stepped onto the pitch in the 85th minute of Monaco’s 4–1 loss to Rennes at Roazhon Park. The scoreboard was bleak, but the moment was anything but. The crowd rose as one, delivering a standing ovation that stunned even Pogba, whose rollercoaster journey has rarely lacked drama.

“Seeing the crowd rise and applaud, I never imagined that would happen,” a visibly moved Pogba said afterwards. “I’m relieved to be playing football again, the thing I love most in the world.”

His comeback ends a spell away from the game dating back to September 2023. Pogba was handed a four-year suspension in February 2024 for testing positive for DHEA, a substance that boosts testosterone. 

After a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the ban was slashed to 18 months, opening the door to a return many thought might never come.

A minor ankle setback delayed his debut last month, but Saturday finally delivered the sight Monaco fans had been waiting for, Pogba back on a football pitch, back in red and white, and back believing.

“There’s still work to do to get to full fitness and play 90 minutes,” he admitted. “If I don’t perform well at Monaco, I can forget about the French national team. But I believe in myself… I never lost hope.”

Now the comeback narrative takes its next twist. Monaco face Pafos in the Champions League on Wednesday before hosting PSG in a massive Ligue 1 showdown. For Pogba, the mission is clear: rebuild, prove himself, and write a new chapter.

And after Saturday’s ovation, he can finally say, football is back in his life.