Paul Pogba Eyes France Return After Joining Monaco
Paul Pogba expressed his aspirations of returning to the French national team during his unveiling at AS Monaco, stating that representing Les Bleus again “would of course still be a dream and a bonus for me.”
The 32-year-old midfielder, who has earned 91 caps for France, has not played for the national team since March 2022 due to a combination of injuries and an 18-month doping suspension that recently ended.
“It’s the wish of every French football player to represent the France national team, but there are stages,” Pogba remarked. “Today I’m at stage one: coming back and performing well. There are spots to be won, and you have to earn them because it’s a very, very good group, a great team.”
In Pogba’s absence, the French squad reached the final of the 2022 World Cup but fell to Argentina in a dramatic penalty shootout. They also made it to the semifinals of the European Championship last year before losing 2-1 to Spain, the eventual champions.
Having signed a two-year contract with Monaco, Pogba aims to revitalize his career in Ligue 1. His recent years have been marred by injuries, a doping suspension, and a highly publicized extortion case involving his brother, Mathias, who was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a plot to extort €13 million ($15.3 million) from Pogba.
Pogba’s last three seasons have seen him make only 12 appearances due to these challenges. Now, he is set to play club football in France for the first time in his professional career after previously enjoying success with Juventus, where he won four Serie A titles, and Manchester United, where he lifted the 2017 Europa League trophy.
