Paul Pogba has completed an emotional move to Ligue 1 club AS Monaco after being away from football for almost two years.
The Frenchman has signed a two-year contract with Monaco, who finished third in the 2024/25 season and are qualified for the Champions League. Pogba’s transfer came almost seven months after his contract with Juventus was terminated.
In October 2023, it was confirmed that the midfielder failed a doping test when he tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. He was banned for four years, but this was later reduced to 18 months after a successful appeal to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport).
Pogba could return to training and then play again in January and March, respectively. He left Juventus just before.
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The 32-year-old has now confirmed a new club for the 2025/26 season and will take the number 8 shirt in Monaco. Pogba was seen in tears when he signed his contract with the club, and this will be the first time he has played professional football for a French club. (Monaco plays in French leagues and cups).
Despite being in the academies of U.S. Roissy-en-Brie, Torcy, and Le Havre, he never got a senior match in his home country.
Pogba left Le Havre for Manchester United in 2009 and made his first-team debut for the Premier League giants two years later. After a total of seven games, he left Old Trafford in 2012 to sign for Juventus.
In Turin, he won four consecutive Serie A titles and established himself as one of the greatest young talents in European football. Manchester United returned for a second time in 2016, and Pogba returned for a then-world record sum of £89 million.
During his second six-year tenure, he increased the number of appearances to 233 in all competitions, with 39 goals and 51 assists.
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In 2022, another move to Juventus followed after his contract with United expired.
Pogba only played ten games in the 2022/23 season due to injury, and then only two games in the following season before the suspension. His last competitive match was on September 3, 2023 in a 2-0 win over Empoli in Serie A.
Pogba’s debut for Monaco could come on August 17, when they open the Ligue 1 season against his former club Le Havre.
Pogba hopes to make France’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
