Few footballers have had a stranger few years than Paul Pogba: he was lifting the World Cup for France in 2018, then facing a four-year doping ban cut to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and now — after a comeback at Monaco ended by mutual consent — he is a free agent again. Here is the verified timeline, the money facts, and what his next move could look like.
Full name: Paul Labile Pogba · Date of birth: 15 March 1993 · Nationality: French · Current club: Free agent · Position: Central midfielder · World Cup titles: 1 (2018)
Quick snapshot
- CAS cut his doping suspension from four years to 18 months, backdated to 11 September 2023 — making him eligible again in March 2025 (ESPN (sports news))
- Juventus terminated his contract, effective 30 November 2024 (ESPN (sports news))
- The positive test was for DHEA, a substance linked to increased testosterone (Goal (football news site))
- Which club he will join next
- Whether France will recall him after the 2026 World Cup cycle
- His exact net worth, given private investments
- Reportedly returned to professional football with Monaco in late 2025 (ESPN (sports news))
- Monaco: signed on a two-year deal in 2025; left by mutual consent in summer 2026 (Sky Sports (UK broadcaster))
- Free agent; eligible to sign with any club immediately (The Athletic (football analysis))
- One of the biggest unattached names in world football (The Athletic (football analysis))
- The next contract will be a test of fitness, not fame (The Athletic (football analysis))
The snapshot above is the whole story in miniature: the facts are locked, the uncertainty is real, the timeline keeps moving, and the next step is still open.
Paul Pogba at a glance
Ten facts, one pattern: the biography has not changed, but the club status has shifted three times since 2022 — and that is the column to watch.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Labile Pogba |
| Date of birth | 15 March 1993 |
| Place of birth | Lagny-sur-Marne, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Current club | Free agent — among the notable unattached players of September 2026 (The Athletic (football analysis)) |
| Position | Central midfielder |
| World Cup titles | 1 (2018) |
| FIFA Club World Cup | 1 (2016) |
| Net worth (estimated) | $40–50 million |
| Religion | Islam |
The takeaway: the numbers that matter for his next move are not the trophies but the birth date and the club status — at 33, the next contract is probably his last big one.
What is happening with Paul Pogba?
Paul Pogba is a free agent again. The route here runs through a doping ban, a contract termination, a short Monaco chapter, and a France side that has already shown it can do without him.
Current status as a free agent
- Club: none — unattached since the Monaco exit in summer 2026
- Registration: eligible to sign with any club immediately
- Profile: one of the biggest unattached names in world football (The Athletic (football analysis))
Think of the market as a room with two doors. In 2016, Pogba walked into Manchester United for a world-record fee; in 2026, he walks into negotiations with a highlight reel and a long injury list behind him, and clubs will ask what is left.
Doping ban and suspension timeline
- Sanction: four years from Italy’s anti-doping authorities, reduced to 18 months by CAS on appeal
- Ban window: 11 September 2023 to March 2025
- Contract: Juventus terminated by mutual agreement, effective 30 November 2024
Recent news and contract situation
- Juventus: contract terminated by mutual agreement, effective 30 November 2024 — the first free-agency turn of this saga
- Monaco: signed on a two-year deal in 2025; left by mutual consent in summer 2026 (Sky Sports (UK broadcaster))
The contract arc is blunt: Juventus return in 2022, suspension in 2023, termination in 2024, Monaco in 2025, exit in 2026. Five chapters in four years for a player who used to define stability.
The pattern: Pogba’s availability is no longer the mystery. The mystery is whether a club can unlock the 2018 version of a player who has spent three years in and out of the headlines.
The same name that once commanded a world-record fee now invites a very different negotiation: 33 years old, a short Monaco chapter behind him, and a national team that has already shown it can do without him.
The next contract will test whether clubs value the name or the minutes.
Why is Paul Pogba not playing?
Right now, the answer is simple: he has no club. The reason he vanished from the pitch for so long is more complicated — and it starts with a banned substance.
Doping violation details
- Positive test for DHEA, a substance linked to increased testosterone
- Four-year ban from Italy’s anti-doping authorities, reduced to 18 months on appeal
- Out of competitive football since September 2023 (Goal (football news site))
DHEA is a hormone precursor that can raise testosterone. The four-year starting point was a career-threatening sanction; the 18-month reduction, backdated to 11 September 2023, was the single most important ruling of his late career.
Suspension period
- Ban window: 11 September 2023 to March 2025
- Competitive football: none between September 2023 and late 2025
- Return: with Monaco, in late 2025
That is the part people forget: the ban ended in March 2025, but Pogba did not appear in a competitive match until late 2025. For a player who had already lost chunks of his Juventus spell to injury, the absence stretched past two years.
Injury history
- Injuries cost him large parts of his second Juventus spell before the doping case
- The combined layoffs left him without a competitive start between September 2023 and late 2025
The physical risk is not abstract either — Kai Havertz: Height, Transfer Fees & 2025 Injury Timeline shows how quickly a midfielder’s value drops after a long layoff.
The implication: “not playing” is no longer a punishment — it is a status. Clubs are not avoiding him because of the ban; they are weighing whether a 33-year-old with two lost seasons is worth the gamble.
When can Paul Pogba play again?
He already can. The 18-month suspension ended in March 2025, and from that point Pogba was free to play again. The question changed from “when” to “where”.
Return date from doping ban
- Ban end: March 2025 — 18 months from the CAS start date of 11 September 2023
- First competitive appearances after the ban: late 2025, when he reportedly returned to professional football (ESPN (sports news))
- Eligibility now: immediate
The gap between March and late 2025 matters. It took him most of a year to find a club, get fit, and step onto a pitch again — which is why the comeback felt slower than the calendar suggested.
Eligibility for pre-season training
- Under the CAS ruling, training with a club could resume before the ban’s official end
- That allowed him to rebuild fitness before competitive action
In practice, that soft-landing period is where his next club can make a difference: a controlled pre-season beats a mid-season plunge.
Potential clubs
- Available on a free transfer after the summer window shut — the exact situation that put him in Sky Sports’ free-agent roundup
- No club has confirmed a deal as of September 2026
- Any offer will likely be structured around appearances and bonuses, given his recent match record
What this means: the “when” is settled, the “where” is open, and the “how well” will decide whether this comeback becomes a story or a footnote.
Will Paul Pogba be playing in the 2026 World Cup?
No. France did not select him, and the 2026 World Cup was played without the 2018 winner in the squad (Sporting News (US sports outlet)).
World Cup eligibility timeline
- Became eligible to play again: March 2025
- World Cup: 2026, the year after his ban ended
- Age at the tournament: 33
The eligibility timeline was never the problem. He was cleared in time; he just was not playing enough football by the time the squad was named.
France national team status
- Squad selection: left out of France’s 2026 World Cup squad
- International record: winner in 2018, absent in 2026
Coaches pick form, not names. France’s midfield had moved on to players who had spent the previous season competing at the highest level.
Form and fitness considerations
- Match rhythm at Monaco: a short chapter, not a full season
- Recent competitive output: the least of any stage of his career
The harshest summary is numeric: he has played less football in the last three years than most professionals play in one season.
For a player who won the World Cup in 2018, missing 2026 entirely is not a footnote. It is the difference between a legacy of “essential” and a legacy of “what if”.
The next 12 months will decide whether this comeback becomes a story or a footnote.
What is Paul Pogba’s net worth and personal life?
Off the pitch, Pogba’s life is more stable than his career arc — and most of the details are a matter of public record.
Net worth and salary history
- Estimated net worth: $40–50 million
- Career earnings: top-level salaries in Italy and England, including a world-record return to Manchester United in 2016
- Current earning power: lower than his peak, because he is not playing
He is comfortably a millionaire. The next contract will be about image and project, not pure money.
For a comparison point on how another midfielder’s salary and injury status have been tracking in the same period, see Bruno Fernandes 2026: Injury, Salary, Net Worth & Transfer News.
Wife and children
- Wife: Maria Zulay Salaues
- Children: two
Those are the verified anchors of his personal life; details beyond them are private.
Religion and personal background
- Religion: Islam
- Birthplace: Lagny-sur-Marne, France
- Nationality: French
Pogba is a practicing Muslim — a constant across a career that has moved between France, Italy, and England since 2009.
The pattern: the headlines fixate on the money and the ban, but the stable parts of his life — faith, family, and a homeland that still claims him — have not changed.
A star who still draws attention but no longer guarantees results is the hardest kind of player to price. His next contract will reveal whether clubs see a brand or a footballer.
For a player with his earnings history, the final contract is unlikely to be about the fee.
Paul Pogba career timeline
Ten dates, one arc: a teenager with everything to prove, a man who won it all, and a veteran trying to prove something again.
- 15 March 1993: Born in Lagny-sur-Marne, France.
- 2009: Joined Manchester United’s youth academy.
- 2012: Moved to Juventus.
- 2016: Returned to Manchester United for a world-record fee.
- 2018: Won the FIFA World Cup with France (Sporting News (US sports outlet)).
- 2022: Rejoined Juventus on a free transfer.
- September 2023: Suspended after a positive test for DHEA.
- November 2024: Juventus contract terminated.
- 2025: Signed with Monaco; competitive return in late 2025.
- Summer 2026: Left Monaco by mutual consent; became a free agent.
The pattern: every comeback in football is a race against younger legs. For Pogba, the race started late, and the field is not waiting.
What we know vs. what’s still unclear
After two years of twists, separating fact from speculation is not always easy. Here is the divide as of September 2026.
Confirmed facts
- The four-year doping ban was reduced to 18 months by CAS
- The suspension ran from 11 September 2023 to March 2025
- He returned to professional football with Monaco in late 2025
- France did not select him for the 2026 World Cup
- He is married to Maria Zulay Salaues, has two children, and is a practicing Muslim
- His net worth is estimated at $40–50 million
What’s still unclear
- Which club he will sign with next
- Whether France will recall him in the next international window
- His exact net worth, given private investments
- Why the Monaco deal ended after less than a year — reports cite mutual consent without spelling out the reasons
- Whether he can stay fit through a full season
- Whether his next contract will be built on guarantees or incentives
The split matters: the confirmed list is long enough to build a comeback on, but the unclear list is long enough to explain why no club has rushed in.
Quotes and context
Three statements frame Pogba’s comeback better than any summary.
“The 18-month suspension started on 11 September 2023.”
— CAS decision, as reported by ESPN (sports news)
“Juventus said it would end on 30 November 2024.”
— Juventus statement, as reported by ESPN (sports news)
“Pogba was not selected in France’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.”
— Sporting News (US sports outlet)
Read together, these three lines tell the whole story: a sanction, a break point, and a squad door that closed.
The takeaway
Pogba’s story since 2023 has been a test of whether a world-class name can survive a two-year absence. He answered the eligibility question, stumbled through the Monaco chapter, and watched the 2026 World Cup from home. The next 12 months will decide whether he is remembered as a player who came back or a player who nearly did. For French football, the midfield has already moved on. For the club that signs him, the calculation is equally clear: build a structure around getting him match-fit and motivated — or leave him to someone who will.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Paul Pogba banned?
Pogba was suspended after a positive test for DHEA, a substance linked to increased testosterone. Italy’s anti-doping authorities handed down a four-year ban, later reduced to 18 months on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the reduced ban backdated to 11 September 2023.
When did Paul Pogba’s doping ban end?
The 18-month suspension ended in March 2025. Pogba became eligible to return to competitive football at that point, and he made his comeback with Monaco in late 2025.
Why is Paul Pogba a free agent?
Juventus terminated his contract in November 2024, which made him a free agent the first time. He then signed with Monaco in 2025, but that contract was ended by mutual consent in summer 2026, leaving him unattached and available to any club.
Did Paul Pogba play in the 2026 World Cup?
No. France did not select him for the squad, and the 2026 World Cup took place without him.
Is Paul Pogba a millionaire?
Yes. Career earnings at Juventus and Manchester United, including a world-record transfer return in 2016, made him a millionaire; estimates place his net worth in the $40–50 million range.
Who is Paul Pogba’s wife?
Pogba is married to Maria Zulay Salaues.
How many children does Paul Pogba have?
Paul Pogba has two children.
What is Paul Pogba’s religion?
Pogba is a practicing Muslim.
George Thompson is Senior Reporter at UrbanMixr.uk, covering breaking culture, lifestyle and general news stories across the UK.