Paul Pogba made his long-awaited return to competitive football during Monaco’s 4-1 loss to Rennes on Saturday. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain retained their top spot in Ligue 1 with a win over Le Havre.
Pogba, 32, came on as a late substitute for Monaco, marking his first appearance in over two years after his career was disrupted by injuries, a doping suspension, and an extortion case in which he was the victim.
“Football isn’t over for me. We’ve worked hard, we’ve waited more than two years to get back, and today it finally happened. Thank God,” said Pogba.
The 2018 World Cup winner received a warm ovation from supporters at Roazhon Park when he came on in the 85th minute and again after the final whistle.
“It really touched me to see the crowd stand and applaud. I honestly didn’t expect that, so a huge thank you to all the fans who were there today and supported me,” said Pogba.
Why Pogba Missed Football?
The former Manchester United midfielder failed a drugs test in August 2023 after a match for Juventus and was handed a four-year ban, later reduced to 18 months.
Despite this, the Italian club terminated his contract last November, ending an unhappy second spell in Turin marred by injuries and other issues.
In 2024, his brother Mathias was sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended, for his role in a plot to extort 13 million euros ($15.3 million) from Pogba in 2022.
Monaco gave Pogba a chance to revive his career, signing him after his suspension ended in March. The club has been cautious in preparing him for competitive action, but coach Sebastien Pocognoli brought him on with the team trailing by four goals and down to 10 men.
Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal and Mahdi Camara scored for Rennes before Denis Zakaria was sent off. Breel Embolo added to the lead and Ludovic Blas scored a penalty, with Monaco pulling one back through Mika Biereth after Pogba’s introduction.
“It’s great… the return of Paul Pogba, but I play for Monaco – that’s my team, and I hate losing,” said Pogba.
“I’m relieved to be back playing football, the thing I love most in the world.
“But there’s still work to do to get back to full fitness, play 90 minutes, and help the team as much as possible,” he added.
PSG eased to a 3-0 victory at home against Le Havre, with goals from Lee Kang-in, Joao Neves, and Bradley Barcola.
Luis Enrique’s side reclaimed first place and their two-point lead after temporarily falling behind Marseille and Lens, who edged Strasbourg 1-0 earlier on Saturday.
Ismaelo Ganiou scored the Lens winner midway through the second half before Strasbourg’s Valentin Barco was sent off. Lens also finished with 10 men as Morgan Guilavogui saw red in stoppage time.
Marseille thrashed Nice 5-1 on Friday, with Mason Greenwood scoring twice to become the league’s top scorer with 10 goals.
(With inputs from Agencies)
