It seems the wait is over - after 26 months, Paul Pogba should be playing football again.
He has not been on the field since September 2023, then was accused of doping and received a four-year ban before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) changed that suspension to 19 months.
The Frenchman, a world champion and one of the best midfielders on the planet for years, has meanwhile signed for Monaco and is set to make his debut in the "princes" jersey on Saturday when his team plays against Rennes.
Pogba is expected to start the game on the bench, and to be given a chance by the "Princes" coach Sebastien Poconogli during the 90 minutes.
Pogba played his last game for Juventus on September 3, 2023, away to Empoli, and his suspension followed in February 2024.
The football player himself admitted that he used the supplement, but defended himself by saying that he did not know that he had a banned substance.
CAS later pardoned him, and the former Manchester United player gained the right to return to football in March - there was talk of him going to the American MLS league or Saudi Arabia, and then Monaco appeared.
The Principality club's decision to give him a second chance was met with mostly positive reactions in French football, with the reasoning being that "a footballer of such renown can only contribute to the popularity of Ligue 1."
"Finally the nightmare is over," 32-year-old Pogba recently wrote.
He was close to making his debut before the international break, against Lens, whose jersey is worn by Montenegrin international Andrija Bulatović, but had to wait due to a wrist injury.
Now, everything is finally ready for the 32-year-old footballer to take to the field at Ren Park Stadium (Saturday at 19 p.m.).
"We had time to work on some different tactical aspects during the international break. Paul was part of them and that's a good thing. We all know who he is, he hasn't lost his quality or vision of the game, but it's always the same with players who come back after a long break - it takes time for everything to come back to normal. We want to help him get his smile back when he's on the pitch and enjoy it," said Poconglioli, who succeeded Adi Hiter on the Monaco bench in mid-October.
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