French football star Paul Pogba has signed a two-year deal with AS Monaco, marking a highly emotional return to professional football following an 18-month doping suspension.
The 32-year-old midfielder, formerly of Manchester United and Juventus, broke down in tears during the signing ceremony, expressing deep gratitude to Monaco for giving him a fresh start. In the club’s announcement video, Pogba described the move as “La renaissance” — a personal and professional rebirth.
Pogba had been handed a four-year ban after testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a banned substance that enhances testosterone levels, following Juventus’ Serie A opener against Udinese in the 2023–24 season.
However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later reduced the ban, confirming that Pogba had unknowingly ingested the substance and noting that its effects are primarily female-specific. He became eligible to return in March 2025.
After mutually terminating his contract with Juventus in November 2024, Pogba had remained a free agent until this Monaco move — his first club in France’s Ligue 1.
Pogba, a 2018 World Cup winner with France, began his career at Manchester United, rose to global prominence with Juventus, and returned to United in a then-world record £89 million deal in 2016. Despite a promising start, his later years were plagued by injuries and inconsistent form.
Now at Monaco, Pogba aims to rebuild his career and prove he still has more to offer at the top level of the game.
