Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand made his feelings perfectly clear on Paul Pogba’s return to football after the Monaco midfielder made his club debut.
Paul Pogba made his first appearance for Monaco on Saturday after he climbed off the bench in the Ligue 1 encounter against Rennes at the Roazhon Park.
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Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli hooked off Mamadou Coulibaly in the 85th minute and Pogba took to the pitch to secure his first professional minutes since 2023.
Pogba had been banned from football after he failed a drugs test during his second spell at Juventus, despite staunchly denying any wrongdoing over the offence.
The 32-year-old former Manchester United midfielder left Juventus after his contract was mutually terminated in 2024 and Pogba signed for Monaco last summer.
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Former Juventus and Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba at the end of the French Ligue 1 football match between Stade Rennais and Monaco at the Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes, France, in 2025.
Photo by Lou BENOIST / AFP via Getty Images
Paul Pogba sends powerful message after playing for Monaco in the 4-1 defeat to Rennes
Paul Pogba’s Monaco debut was overshadowed by Sebastien Pocognoli’s side being reduced to 10 men and suffering a crushing 4-1 defeat to Rennes in their clash.
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Despite the scoreline going against his current side, former Manchester United player Pogba could not overlook the emotionally charged moment in his career.
The 2018 World Cup winner took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and sent out a powerful message after marking his return to football.
Last night was unforgettable.
Stepping back onto the pitch after two years away meant more to me than I can express. To the fans, thank you for the love, the energy, and the belief.
To everyone who stood behind me, supported me, and pushed me through every moment of this… pic.twitter.com/uCNeTbGFWu
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) November 23, 2025
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“Last night was unforgettable,” Pogba said.
“Stepping back onto the pitch after two years away meant more to me than I can express. To the fans, thank you for the love, the energy, and the belief.
“To everyone who stood behind me, supported me, and pushed me through every moment of this journey, I’m deeply grateful. This debut wasn’t just mine…
“It belonged to all of you who never stopped supporting me.”
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Paul Pogba’s message catches the eye of former Man Utd and England defender Rio Ferdinand
Pogba was initially suspended from football in 2023 before he was handed a four-year ban in 2024, which dated back to his first failed drugs test.
However, the former France international’s punishment was reduced to two years after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was accepted in 2024.
Rio Ferdinand was spotted in the replies of Pogba’s post on X and the United legend showed his heartfelt support for the Monaco midfielder’s club debut on the weekend.
“Back where u [sic] belong! Congrats, my man,” he said in response.
Pogba’s final appearance for Juventus came in September 2023 in a 2-0 Serie A win against Empoli at the Carlo Castellani Stadium in Italy.
The former Juventus ace returned to the Old Lady as a free agent in 2022 after his contract with United expired and he left Old Trafford for the second time.