Paul Pogba leaves AS Monaco after contract termination
By Luke Oluoch, August 19, 2026Paul Pogba’s potential career-redeeming stint with French side AS Monaco has come to an end this Wednesday, August 19, 2026, after the club terminated his contract.
“The club of the Principality and the French international midfielder jointly announce the end of the adventure that had begun in the 2025 offseason. The Club expresses its gratitude to the 2018 world champion and wishes him the best for the future,” part of Monaco’s statement read.
Pogba made a sensational return to football in 2025, signing with the former Ligue 1 champions.
The contract was his first since a doping ban that sidelined him for almost two years. And while the excitement of a long-awaited return filled the air as the former Manchester United star sought to rise from the disgraceful spell that derailed his career, his culmination has not been in the manner he envisaged.
The famous return did not pan out as envisaged, with the midfielder making only 6 appearances in his one season at the club amid another injury-ravaged campaign.
Pogba doping woes
The former Juventus midfielder, who won four straight Serie A titles during his heyday with the Serie A giants, was handed a four-year ban from football after failing a drug test in August 2024. This was after he tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’s first game of the season against Udinese.
His legal team rejected a plea deal, as they hoped to get their client a lighter sentence after claiming he had accidentally ingested the substance that caused the positive test.
The prosecution did not believe Pogba’s defense, resulting in the potentially career-ending ban.
Pogba has confirmed his intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
To and from Juventus
After coming through United’s academy, Pogba moved to Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 as he hoped to get more minutes on the pitch. He proved a major hit in Italy, headlining the Old Lady’s spell of six successful years.
This convinced the Red Devils to bring him back to Old Trafford in 2016 for a world-record fee of £89m.
World Cup winner
Pogba won the World Cup with France two years later, scoring in the final against Croatia, but struggled to hit the same heights at United.
During his six years back in England, Pogba won the Europa League and League Cup with United but failed to turn them into Premier League title contenders.
His final game saw him limp off after 10 minutes as United slumped to a dismal 4-0 defeat against bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
He left the 13-time Premier League champions on a free transfer for the second time in 2022 to go back to Juventus as he aimed to resurrect his career.
But his first year back in Turin proved disastrous as he missed the majority of the campaign due to injury.
Pogba started just one game all season after being sidelined with knee, groin and hamstring problems before his doping case was confirmed after the final game of the season.