Paul Pogba agrees two-year Monaco deal to restart career after doping ban
Paul Pogba is poised to return to football with Monaco after the conclusion of a doping ban. The France international has a agreed a two-year deal with the Ligue 1 club and will undergo a medical this week.
The 32-year-old last played a competitive game for Juventus in September 2023 before receiving a four-year suspension after testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Pogba appealed against the length of his ban, which was reduced to 18 months, and has been free to play since March.
Pogba, who has 91 caps, attracted interest from clubs across the world after agreeing to terminate his Juventus contract last November. Sides from MLS and Saudi Arabia made overtures but the midfielder decided it would be best to restart his career in Monaco, who hope the deal will be concluded this week.
Despite coming through the academy at Le Havre, Pogba has never played domestic football in France. He has had two spells at Manchester United, becoming the world's then most expensive player when he returned to the club in 2016 for €105m.
Pogba's second spell at Old Trafford was a disappointment and he returned to Juventus in 2022 on a free transfer but struggled with injuries and form in Serie A before his ban.
Guardian
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
4 hours ago
- The 42
Paul Pogba to return to football with Monaco in bid to revive career
PAUL POGBA HAS signed a two-year deal with Ligue 1 side Monaco to return to football after a near two-year absence, the club announced on Saturday. The 2018 World Cup winner has made only 12 appearances across the last three seasons due to injuries, an 18-month doping ban and an extortion case in which he was the victim. 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 was terminated last year. The midfielder will now play club football in Ligue 1 for the first time in his professional career. 'I am determined to get back on the pitch, mentally ready, physically ready, it's just a matter of time,' the 32-year-old told French television last weekend. Pogba played in the Le Havre youth team before signing for Manchester United in 2009. Advertisement 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. 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. His new club Monaco will play in the Champions League next season after finishing third in Ligue 1 last term. – © AFP 2025
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Paul Pogba makes his return to football as he joins a new club after a doping ban
The 32-year-old became a free agent on November 30 after his contract with Juve was terminated. Pogba had been handed a four-year doping ban – following an initial suspension – in March 2024, but was able to resume playing in March this year after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced his punishment to 18 months last October. He started his senior career at Manchester United before joining Juventus for a first spell in 2012, where he won four successive Serie A trophies along with two Italian Cups and two Italian Supercups. A move back to United followed in 2016 and he spent six seasons with the club, winning the Europa League and League Cup, making 233 appearances during his time at Old Trafford. The France international has been capped 91 times by his country and won the World Cup in 2018, where he scored in his team's 4-2 win over Croatia. Pogba returned to Juventus in 2022 on a four-year deal but was sanctioned in March last year having been provisionally suspended since September 2023 after testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). However, Pogba lodged an appeal and was successful in getting his suspension reduced. Monaco finished third in Ligue 1 last season, behind champions Paris St Germain and Marseille and Pogba joins the club on a deal running until June 30, 2027.
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Paul Pogba seals return to football after doping ban as ex-Man Utd star joins Ligue 1 side Monaco
PAUL POGBA is finally back in football. And having ended his 18-month doping ban at the age of 32, the ex- Advertisement 5 Paul Pogba will finally play domestic football in France Credit: MANACO 5 Pogba failed a test in August 2023 and hasn't played since the following month Credit: Getty Monaco have signed the 2018 World Cup winner on a two-year contract. The former Pogba was suspended following a random drug test after the Italian giants played Udinese on the first day of the 2023-24 season. He was banned for four years but that was slashed by 30 months on appeal last October. Advertisement READ MORE ON MAN UTD The four-time Serie A winner pledged to ultimately resume playing. However, Pogba's contract with Juve was terminated by mutual consent last November. Two months after that, he Pogba teased United fans with an Instagram post. Advertisement Most read in Football 5 The midfielder reckons he's mentally and physically ready Credit: MANACO BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He shared a cartoon drawing of himself next to Old Trafford ace Amad Diallo - with BOTH players in Red Devils' kit. Pogba sent speculation spiralling by adding the words: "Let's see what's coming..." Advertisement Man Utd open to Rasmus Hojlund offers LATEST with Italian giants keen | Transfers Exposed 5 He's been free to find a new team since March this year. And it's understood he hoped to attract interest from the Bundesliga as well as Juve's major rivals in Serie A. Instead, however, Ligue 1 runners-up Monaco have swooped. Advertisement The Old Trafford academy product left United for his first stint with Juve in 2012. Four glittering years later, Pogba returned to the Red Devils for a then-British record fee of £89million. But his Premier League form was more erratic than electric. Pogba did help Jose Mourinho's Red Devils win both the Europa League and League Cup in 2016-17. Advertisement But he reunited with Juve via a four-year deal and free transfer in July 2022, only to fail a drug test 13 months later He was found to have taken banned substance dehydroepiandrosterone, which boosts testosterone and can improve endurance. But Pogba's suspension was cut last autumn when the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted his case it "was not intentional". Now the 91-cap star is revving up for a top-level return. Advertisement Just days ago, as he neared his move to Monaco, Pogba said: "I'm mentally and physically ready, and I'm eager to start again. "I'm 32, but I still feel like a kid." Pogba also criticised Juve for rejecting his pleas for help. He told French TV channel TF1: "I asked to get a fitness coach. I had the right, and I was always part of the team. Advertisement "They were not very kind to me, they did not support me, and I was shocked. I did not understand why." "I thought I was at war with anti-doping authorities." 5 The United academy product returned for a second spell from 2016-2022 Credit: PA
