Paul Pogba admitted that he was living ‘through a time of darkness and hell’ in the midst of his doping ban – but at last this weekend his misery will come to an end.
The Frenchman, once one of the world’s best midfielders, will reportedly make his long-awaited return to football on Saturday when Monaco face Rennes at Roazhon Park.
It was some 808 days ago that he last laced up his boots as Juventus romped to a 2-0 win against Empoli. Little did the 32-year-old know during those 23 minutes at the Allianz Stadium the torment which was on the horizon.
Days later he was handed a four-year suspension after testing positive for prohibited substance DHEA – a ban which sent one of football’s biggest names into the wilderness.
Pogba had admitted to Juventus that he took some nutritional supplements, supposedly supplied to him by a Miami-based doctor, but was totally unaware that they contained the testosterone which led to his ban.
In the year that followed, the former Man United and Juventus star kept a low profile. That was until October 2024, when his ban was slashed to 18 months. From the darkness, Pogba could then see the light.
Recalling the moment he heard the news, he told Daily Mail Sport that same month: ‘Here’s a funny story: I was trying on a new suit for a film premiere but I didn’t have my phone. My wife (Zulay) comes upstairs with my phone screaming, “it’s the lawyer”. I said I would call him back but she said I had to take the call.
‘So I went downstairs to speak to him with the suit on! He told me the news and I was silent. Everyone was jumping, so happy but I was in shock. Quickly that happiness turned into a determination. We went through hell. A time of darkness. But this is my second chance, I have to use it. I was pumped.’
The reduction meant Pogba was free to return to professional football in March 2025. So, there begged the question, where would he make his return?
Many suggested he was finished, primed to play out the rest of his days in Saudi Arabia or the United States. A move to Japan was even thought to be on the table.
But Pogba had other ideas.
Marseille was initially an option.. The southern French club’s sporting director Medhi Benatia even admitted they considered hosting the French star’s return to the game.
‘We thought about signing Pogba, we wanted to do it,’ he said back in February. ‘The problem is, if we want to bring in a Pogba, who is not yet fit, does it make sense to alter the balance?’
In the end, Pogba settled around 136 miles east of Marseille along the French coast in Monaco. When he signed a two-year contract at the club in June, he broke down in tears.
‘Today I am very happy to be at AS Monaco and return to the job I love,’ the World Cup winner gushed. ‘As I said, there was moments of doubt, when everything was jumbled in my head.
‘It was sometimes difficult, but my family and my wife, and especially my wife, pushed me, telling me not to worry and that I would get back on the pitch.
‘Today, the first objective has been achieved, by signing for a club, and now, I’m coming back with the same mentality and the desire to train hard and come back and get back into shape.’
Monaco were aware of the player they were signing, one who hadn’t played in some two years, and realistic about when he could return to the pitch.
A debut in October was initially predicted, and the midfielder was close to meeting that deadline but for a muscle injury he picked up days before the clash with Angers on October 18.
Then, on November 1, rumours once again circulated that Pogba’s debut could come against Paris FC. This time, an ankle injury suffered in training caused a further delay.
But, according to reports from L’Equipe, Pogba’s wait will finally come to an end this Saturday at Rennes.
Whether he’ll be the same player he once was remains to be seen but, if anything’s certain, it’s that the Frenchman will be desperate to prove his doubters wrong.
