Paul Pogba is expected to make his long-awaited return to action after more than two years out of the game when Monaco travel to Rennes in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has made only 12 appearances in the past three seasons due to injuries, a doping suspension and an extortion case in which he was the victim.
Pogba failed a drugs test after a match for Juventus in August 2023 and was handed a four-year ban, which was subsequently reduced to 18 months.
Nevertheless, the Italian giant terminated his contract last November, prematurely ending an unhappy second spell in Turin beset by injuries and other problems.
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.
But the chance to save his career came for the 32-year-old in the form of Ligue 1 club Monaco, who decided to take a chance on him once he became available again following the end of his suspension in March.
The midfielder signed for the Principality in the season but was initially kept on the sidelines as he followed a tailor-made plan to get his body back into the shape required for elite competition.
Pogba’s return has been postponed twice due to setbacks this autumn, but after winning four Italian league titles with Juventus and the 2017 Europa League with Manchester United, Pogba is now set to play club football in his home country for the first time in his professional career.
He is unlikely to start against Rennes at Roazhon Park as Ligue 1 restarts after the international break. Pogba may only be sent packing by Sebastien Pocognoli for the final moments of the match as sixth-placed Monaco continue to gently contain him.
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Either way, all eyes will be on Pogba to see if his innate ability to recognize and execute the pass that few others could even imagine, let alone pull off, hasn’t disappeared over time.
Pogba has stated that he dreams of returning to French football ahead of the 2026 World Cup, but only time will tell if his body can find it within itself to cope with the demands of modern football for the remainder of the season.
«It is the wish of every French footballer to represent the French national team, but there are phases,» Pogba said on signing for Monaco.
«Today I am in phase one: coming back and performing well. There are places to be won and you have to earn them.»
Published on November 21, 2025
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