After 19-Month doping ban reduction, Pogba finally returns in Monaco’s defeat

Paul Pogba made his first professional appearance in more than two years on Saturday, coming off the bench in Monaco’s 4–1 defeat to Rennes in Ligue 1, Sport360NG reports.

The 32-year-old midfielder was introduced in the 85th minute at Roazhon Park with Monaco already down to 10 men and trailing heavily after captain Denis Zakaria was sent off. It marked Pogba’s first competitive outing in 811 days, his last coming for Juventus against Empoli on 3 September 2023.

Pogba joined Monaco last summer after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced his four-year doping suspension to 19 months, allowing him to resume his career. The former France international had been provisionally banned following a positive test for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in August 2023. He consistently argued the result stemmed from unintentionally taking a supplement containing a banned substance.

Cleared to return in March, Pogba has spent recent months rebuilding fitness and was visibly emotional upon signing for Monaco.

From the sidelines, he watched Rennes race into a commanding lead through goals from Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal, Mahdi Camara, Breel Embolo and Ludovic Blas. Substitute Mika Biereth struck a late consolation for Monaco in added time, but the result sealed a second straight 4–1 loss for Sebastien Pocognoli’s team, who now sit eighth in Ligue 1 with 20 points from 13 matches.