(Reuters) -Paul Pogba described his emotional Monaco debut as a moment of relief and gratitude on Saturday after the French midfielder returned to the pitch for the first time in more than two years following a doping ban.
The former Juventus and Manchester United player, who joined the Ligue 1 side on a free transfer in June, had not played a competitive match since September 2023.
Pogba received a four-year ban in February 2024 after testing positive for banned substance DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 32-year-old, who was nearing a return last month before suffering a right ankle injury, came on in the 85th minute of Monaco's 4-1 defeat by Rennes at Roazhon Park and was met with a standing ovation.
"Seeing the crowd rise and applaud, I never imagined that would happen," Pogba told reporters. "I'm relieved to be playing football again, the thing I love most in the world.
"But there's still work to do to get back to full fitness and be able to play 90 minutes... If I don't perform well at Monaco, I can forget about the French national team.
"I believe in myself and in my qualities, and since I knew I had done nothing wrong and it was not my fault, I never lost hope."
Monaco face Pafos in the Champions League on Wednesday before hosting Paris St Germain in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
