Football star Paul Pogba made his competitive return to the pitch after more than two years on Saturday, coming on as a late substitute for Monaco in their 4-1 defeat away to Rennes.
The 32-year-old former World Cup winner has faced a challenging period marred by severe injuries, a four-year doping ban (later reduced to 18 months), and an extortion case in which he was the victim.
Pogba entered the game in the 85th minute, receiving a warm ovation from the Roazhon Park crowd, which he described as deeply moving and unexpected.
He expressed relief at being back to the sport he loves, stating, “Football isn’t over for me… Thank God.”
However, he acknowledged the loss and stressed that he still needs to work hard to achieve full match fitness and play 90 minutes.

Monaco’s match saw Rennes take the lead with goals from Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal and Mahdi Camara before a red card was shown to Monaco’s Denis Zakaria.
Breel Embolo and Ludovic Blas (via penalty) extended Rennes’ lead, while Mika Biereth scored Monaco’s sole consolation goal after Pogba’s introduction.
In other Ligue 1 action, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) reclaimed the top spot by defeating Le Havre 3-0 with goals from Lee Kang-in, Joao Neves, and Bradley Barcola.
Meanwhile, Lens beat Strasbourg 1-0 in a match that saw both sides finish with 10 men, and Marseille thrashed Nice 5-1 on Friday.
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