Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba finally made his long-awaited debut for AS Monaco – but his return to competitive football came in far from ideal circumstances, with his team losing 4-0 to Rennes.
The Frenchman had not played for two years, following a four-year doping suspension that was later reduced to 18 months after appeal.
After a full 811 days without official football, Pogba can finally call himself an active footballer again, thanks to a brief appearance of around 10 minutes on Saturday night.
Nevertheless, Pogba’s individual statistics during those minutes were promising: he touched the ball 17 times, completed 14 out of 15 attempted passes, recovered the ball twice, and made one interception. After the match, Pogba told RMC Sport that he was disappointed with the loss, but happy to be back on the pitch.
“I was disappointed that we lost this match. It’s the return of Paul Pogba, but I play for Monaco, and I don’t like to lose.”
“On one hand I was very happy, but on the other I was disappointed with the result and with what we did on the pitch.”
Pogba was also emotional about the fans’ reception: “I was touched by the welcome. Seeing the crowd stand up and applaud, I didn’t expect that. A big thank you to the fans who supported me personally.”
“The feeling was good, I wanted to bring positive energy, to avoid conceding a goal, to enjoy myself – it has been a long time. I’m relieved to be back playing football, the thing I love most in the world. There is still work to do to get back to full form,” he added.
