Pogba in race against time as French League season looms

Paul Pogba's return to Monaco this summer set tongues wagging as the 2018 World Cup winner made his comeback to football after nearly three seasons on the sidelines -- a turbulent period blighted by injury, blackmail and an 18-month doping ban.

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Now with the 2025-26 Ligue I season looming large, the former Manchester United star must put all that behind him and get to work if he is to light up Monaco's Stade Louis II and realise his “dream” of winning back his spot in the France national team.

"It's the wish of every French football player to represent the France national team, but there are stages," Pogba said during his unveiling at Monaco in July.

"Today I'm at stage one: coming back and performing well."

Pogba's words attracted attention for what he could still offer on the field, but it was his tears of joy that really grabbed the spotlight.

Images of the 32-year-old weeping as he signed a two-year contract with Monaco went viral on social media -- thus setting the tone for a very different type of graft.

The arrival of the midfielder at Monaco represented more than just the return of a star name of French football to Ligue 1, it was clearly a marketing opportunity too good to pass up.