“Football isn’t over for me… we’ve waited more than two years to get back, and today it finally happened,” Pogba said after the match. He received a warm ovation from the Roazhon Park crowd when he entered in the 85th minute and again at full-time. “It really touched me… I didn’t expect that,” he added.
Pogba had been handed a four-year ban following a failed drugs test with Juventus in August 2023, later reduced to 18 months. His contract with the Italian club was terminated in November 2023, ending a turbulent second spell in Turin. The midfielder also endured the fallout of a 2022 extortion plot involving his brother, Mathias, who was convicted in 2024.
Monaco signed Pogba after his suspension ended in March, managing his return carefully. Coach Sebastien Pocognoli introduced him late in the match with the team trailing 4-0 and down to 10 men. Goals from Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, Mahdi Camara, Breel Embolo and a Ludovic Blas penalty sealed Rennes’s win, while Mika Biereth scored Monaco’s lone goal after Pogba’s arrival.
“It’s great… the return of Paul Pogba, but I play for Monaco — that’s my team, and I hate losing,” said Pogba, noting that he still needs time to regain full fitness.
Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain reclaimed top spot in Ligue 1 with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Le Havre, courtesy of Lee Kang-in, Joao Neves and Bradley Barcola. PSG restored their two-point lead after briefly slipping behind Marseille and Lens earlier in the day.
Lens beat Strasbourg 1-0 thanks to an Ismaelo Ganiou strike, in a match that saw both teams reduced to 10 men late on. Marseille, meanwhile, thrashed Nice 5-1 on Friday, with Mason Greenwood scoring twice to move top of the league’s scoring charts with 10 goals.