AS Monaco and Paul Pogba mutually terminate contract after 115 minutes of play

Contract termination in the Principality

AS Monaco and midfielder Paul Pogba have mutually agreed to cancel his contract ahead of the 2026–2027 season opener. The 33-year-old French international had joined the Ligue 1 club in June 2025 on a two-year deal running until June 2027. Both parties agreed that the sporting goals established upon his arrival had been only partially fulfilled. Mutual termination discussions had progressed over several weeks before Monaco confirmed the decision on Wednesday, 19 August 2026.

AS Monaco is an exceptional club and, even if I haven't played as many games as I hoped, I will always remain grateful to have had the opportunity to wear its colours.

Six appearances and persistent injuries

During the 2025–2026 campaign, Pogba featured in six Ligue 1 matches and logged 115 total minutes on the pitch. His on-field return occurred on 22 November 2025 against Rennes, marking his first competitive appearance in over two years. His only start came on 2 May 2026, when he played 58 minutes during a 2-1 away win over FC Metz. Monaco concluded that domestic season in seventh place.

Persistent physical setbacks continued into the 2026 summer pre-season. Pogba missed extended preparation time because of a right knee problem before sustaining a left hamstring strain at St. George's Park during Monaco's pre-season tour in England. The muscular injury could sideline the midfielder for several months, prompting the club and player to finalise the contract termination before competitive fixtures began. Thiago Scuro, Monaco's head of sport and business, acknowledged the ambitious scope of the project.

When he joined, we explained that this was a major challenge, that was audacious and ambitious. While the outcome is not what we had hoped for, it should not overshadow the enthusiasm that surrounded his return to club football, nor the fact that Paul was able to return to the pitch and to professional football during this period.

Four seasons of limited match action

The Monaco move was intended to revive a career interrupted by physical issues and a doping sanction. Across the past four seasons between Juventus and Monaco, Pogba accumulated 328 minutes in official club matches, the equivalent of just over three and a half full fixtures. He recorded 161 minutes in 2022–2023 and 52 minutes in 2023–2024 before testing positive for testosterone in Italy. He played zero matches in 2024–2025, with Juventus formally terminating his deal on 30 November 2024.

Career timeline and free agency

Pogba developed in Le Havre's youth academy before representing Manchester United twice and Juventus twice in senior football. He won the 2018 World Cup with France, scoring in the 4-2 final against Croatia, and accumulated 91 international caps with 11 goals. In 2016, his 105 million euro ($116 million) move to Manchester United made him the world's most expensive footballer. Following an initial four-year ban in February 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced the suspension to 18 months in October 2024. Pogba resumed training in January 2025 and became eligible for selection in March 2025 before his free-agent stint at Monaco.