Paul Pogba looks to relaunch career after doping ban as Monaco announce signing of 2018 World Cup winner

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Paul Pogba played a crucial role in France's 2018 World Cup win. (AP Photo)

French World Cup winner Paul Pogba has joined AS Monaco on a free transfer as he looks to revive his career after serving a doping ban. The club said on Saturday that Pogba has signed a two-year contract and posted videos and images of the 32-year-old wearing their red-and-white jersey. Interestingly, this will be the first time that Pogba plays in the French top flight despite having made over 90 appearances for France.

Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban in February 2024 after testing positive for DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This, coupled with his chronic injury troubles before the ban has led to the breaks being applied on Pogba’s career but before those issues, the Frenchman was among the most bankable stars of the sport and considered one of the best midfielders in the world.

We are delighted to announce the arrival of Paul Pogba 🇫🇷

The midfielder has signed a 2-season deal and is now tied to the Club until 30th June 2027 🆕 pic.twitter.com/SJN33IZhzw

— AS Monaco EN 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco_EN) June 28, 2025

With Monaco finishing third last season in the Ligue 1 standings, Pogba stands a chance at getting back to playing in the Champions League. Pogba’s last club were Italian giants Juventus, who announced in November that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in June 2026. While Pogba had first made a name for himself at Juventus between 2012 and 2016, his second stint with a club was disappointing, making just 12 appearances over the course of two seasons.

Pogba made his start at French club Le Havre’s academy but signed with Manchester United at age 16 in 2009. He failed to make a name for himself during the last of the club’s glory days under Alex Ferguson but a transfer to Juventus in 2012 turned out to be the break he needed. Pogba quickly established himself in the starting lineup and went on to be recognised as one of the most exciting young midfielders in the world.

He then returned to Manchester United for a then-record fee of 105 million euros in 2016 but his second stint at Old Trafford was a rather mixed one. While he showed flashes of brilliance which played a crucial role in the club winning the Europa League and the EFL Cup in the 2016/17 season, Pogba was also criticised multiple times for his work rate and inconsistency.

Interestingly, his performances for France rarely wavered in this period and Pogba was a crucial architect of the side’s 2018 World Cup victory. He scored one of the four goals in the final against Croatia, which France won 4-2.

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