By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
Paul Pogba finally played professional football again.
At 85 minutes, with AS Monaco already trailing 3-1 and reduced to ten men, the 32-year-old stepped onto the pitch to a standing ovation from the Rennes supporters. He pointed to the sky, wiped away tears, and embraced the moment he had waited 811 days to experience.
The scoreline, however, offered no fairytale ending. Stade Rennes completed a dominant 4-1 victory, inflicting Monaco’s third straight Ligue 1 defeat and plunging the team managed on the night by caretaker Sébastien Pocognoli) into crisis.
Arnaud Kalimuendo opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a sharp near-post finish. Martin Terrier doubled the lead three minutes into the second half with a curling effort from 20 yards. Amine Gouiri made it 3-0 on the hour mark, tapping home after Monaco’s defence failed to clear a corner.
Captain Denis Zakaria’s dismissal in the 66th minute for a second yellow card killed any faint hope of a comeback. Maghnes Akliouche pulled one back in the 78th minute with a deflected strike that looped over Steve Mandanda, but Kalimuendo converted a late penalty to seal his brace and Rennes’ comprehensive win.
Only then, at 3-1, did Paul Pogba enter the fray — replacing Soungoutou Magassa in midfield. In his seven minutes plus stoppage time he managed five touches, won one aerial duel, and drew a warm round of applause from all four sides of Roazhon Park when the final whistle sounded.
“I felt strange, but in a good way,” Pogba told Canal+ afterwards, his voice still thick with emotion. “The reception from the Rennes fans… I didn’t expect that. I’m just happy to be back doing what I love.”
From World Cup glory to 18-month exile: Pogba’s ordeal revisited
The road back has been brutal.
- September 11, 2023: Tested positive for DHEA after Juventus’ season opener against Udinese (a game he didn’t even play in).
- February 2024: Initially banned for four years by Italy’s anti-doping tribunal — a sentence that would have ended his career.
- October 2024: CAS reduced the suspension to 18 months after accepting the positive test resulted from a contaminated supplement prescribed by a U.S. doctor, not intentional doping.
- November 2024: Juventus terminated his contract by mutual consent.
- June 2025: Joined Monaco on a free transfer with a two-year deal plus option, returning to France for the first time as a professional.
In between there were injuries (hamstring, knee, ankle), the shocking extortion case involving his brother Mathias (sentenced to three years, two suspended), and endless months of solo training sessions while banned from any club facilities.
Yet the Pogba who arrived in the Principality in the summer was adamant: “I never stopped believing I’d play again.”
Monaco’s staff eased him back gradually. A minor ankle problem in October delayed his debut further, but yesterday the paperwork was finally complete and the green light given.
What now?
Pogba himself is under no illusions. “I’m at zero — or maybe one out of 100,” he said last week. “I need minutes, rhythm, matches.”
Next up: a home Champions League tie against Pafos on Wednesday, followed by the blockbuster visit of Paris Saint-Germain on November 29. Whether he starts either remains unlikely, but another cameo — perhaps with the scoreline kinder — feels inevitable.
For a player who lifted the World Cup in 2018, won four Serie A titles, and once commanded a £89 million transfer fee, seven minutes in a heavy defeat is hardly the grand return anyone scripted.
But for Paul Pogba, simply hearing the referee’s whistle and feeling the ball at his feet again was enough.
Football, for one night at least, gave him back his smile. G Galaxy Sports Production
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