Pogba tears up as French star returns to football with Monaco

French World Cup winner Paul Pogba was overcome with emotion yesterday as he teared up while officially signing a two-year contract with AS Monaco, marking a return to professional football after an 18-month doping ban.

The 32-year-old midfielder last played a competitive game in September 2023 before serving the suspension and has made only 12 appearances across the last three seasons due to injuries, the doping ban and an extortion case in which he was the victim.

The moment, captured by cameras and quickly circulating online, showed Pogba bowing his head, holding back tears as he put pen to paper. He was then seen being consoled by his representatives and AS Monaco sporting director Thiago Scuro, highlighting the deeply personal significance of this new chapter.

"Thanks for the trust," Pogba said in reply during the signing ceremony on Saturday.

Pogba's ban, which stemmed from a positive test for DHEA, a substance that can raise testosterone levels, was reduced from four years to 18 months upon appeal.

Pogba failed a drugs test in August 2023 after a match for Juventus and has been free to return to football since March, although his contract at the Italian giants had been terminated in November last year, leaving him without a club.

This move to Monaco represents a fresh start in Ligue 1, a league he has never played in professionally. With Monaco set to compete in the Champions League next season, Pogba will be eager to rediscover the form that once made him one of the world's most sought-after midfielders.

Pogba played in the Le Havre youth team before signing for Manchester United in 2009.

He made only a handful of first-team appearances for the three-time European champions before signing for Juventus in 2012.

Pogba won four consecutive Serie A titles in Turin before rejoining United for a then-world record 105 million euros ($123 million).

He moved back to Juventus three years ago but struggled with a series of injuries.

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 from Pogba in 2022.

Pogba has scored 11 goals in 91 appearances for the France national team, playing a starring role and scoring in their World Cup final victory over Croatia seven years ago.