Missing out: Paul Pogba was omitted from France's squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 after failing to prove his fitness.
The 33-year-old midfielder admitted himself that participating in this summer's tournament was always an unrealistic dream due to his severe lack of match sharpness.
Prolonged absence: The World Cup 2018 winner had to rebuild his career after being handed a four-year doping ban in February 2024 after testing positive for "non-endogenous testosterone metabolites." His suspension was then reduced to 18 months on appeal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, meaning he was able to return to action on the pitch from March 2025 onwards, after they accepted his argument that his ingestion of a banned substance "was not intentional".
Injury struggles: Pogba joined AS Monaco on a two-year deal in the summer of 2025 after his contract was terminated by Juventus.
However, his return to football has been hampered by persistent knee injures, meaning he missed large portions of the 2025-26 season and was even left out of Monaco's Champions League knockout squad.
