Video: Paul Pogba shows his class in hugely hyped comeback match following drug ban

Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba made his much-anticipated return to a football pitch for AS Monaco last night. United career The 2018 World Cup winner played for United between 2009-2012 and later 2016-2022. He played 226 times for the Red Devils, scoring 39 goals. Ban The midfielder left United in the summer of 2022 after his contract expired and joined another of his former sides Juventus on a free transfer. Injury ruined his 2022-2023 season and then he was controversially banned at the very start of the 2023-2024 season. He was provisionally suspended when non-endogenous testosterone was found in his test results. On 29 February 2024, he received a four-year ban for doping from the Italian Anti-Doping National Tribunal but after an appeal, this was reduced to 18 months in October of the same year. Monaco signing After much speculation to where Pogba would return, he finally signed for Ligue 1 side AS Monaco. The French side have been very careful with his return to senior football but he finally got the chance to step onto a football pitch after 779 days. Pogba entered the stage with AS Monaco 4-0 down at Rennes in the 85th minute. He completed 93% of his pass attempts and won his only tackle during limited time on the pitch. The 32 year old also made one interception and recovered the ball three times. He demonstrated a glimpse of his exceptional talent with a long-raking pass that perfectly picked out the Monaco winger in space to attack the Rennes defence. His former United teammate Bruno Fernandes was clearly pleased with his return and posted “Pogback” on his Instagram feed. Commenting after the match Pogba claimed, “I was disappointed to lose this match. It’s Paul Pogba’s return, but I play for Monaco, and I don’t like losing.” He also added, “I was really happy on one hand, but on the other, I was disappointed with the result and what we did on the pitch. It touched me, the reception. Seeing the crowd stand up and applaud, I wasn’t expecting that. A big thank you to the fans who personally supported me.” Paul Pogba stats vs Rennes StatValue Goals0 Assists0 Expected assists (xA)0 Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)0 (0) Accurate passes14/15 (93%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)5/6 (83%) Passes in own half (acc.)9/9 (100%) Long balls (accurate)1/2 (50%) Total shots0 Shots on target0 Shots blocked0 Touches18 Dribbles (successful)0 (0) Possession lost2 Tackles (won)1 (1) Interceptions1 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries3 Ground duels (won)1 (1) Aerial duels (won)0 (0) Dribbled past0 Source: Sofascore Pogback few min. Camo As far as he is fit ‘advantage France’ pic.twitter.com/0Sgea9Fcjr — Steph’s (@Queenstey) November 22, 2025 Featured image Ed Sykes via Getty Images – The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.