Paul Pogba to take Monaco squad number worn by SIX Premier League stars

Paul Pogba has confirmed his return to club football after nearly two years and the ex-Man Utd star will play for Ligue 1 side Monaco as he chases a recall to the France squad

Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba will wear the number eight shirt at new club Monaco, it has been claimed. The French international has signed a two-year contract with the club, having been out of the game for nearly two years following a doping ban.

Pogba, 32, left Juventus in late 2024 but didn’t join another club before the end of the European season. Now, though, he has moved to the French Riviera for a shot at Ligue 1 and Champions League football.

Monaco and Pogba confirmed the deal on Saturday in a video in which the player utters the words ‘La Renaissance’. He joins a team who finished third in Ligue 1 last term, meaning they’ll enter the Champions League at the league phase.

He has joined a number of former Premier League players at Stade Louis II, including former Arsenal striker Flo Balogun and another ex-Gunners striker in Mika Biereth. However, there’s set to be another Premier League sub-plot when it comes to his squad number.

According to RMC Sport (via GFFN), Pogba will take the number eight shirt vacated by Libyan international Al-Musrati when his loan ends. It’s a number which was once worn by Real Madrid and France star Aurelien Tchouameni, as well as a number of others familiar to English football fans.

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According to Transfermarkt, Youri Djorkaeff wore 8 for Monaco in the 90s – long before his Premier League spells at Boldon and Blackburn. In 1995-96 it was the turn of Sylvain Legwinski, who would later follow ex-Monaco boss Jean Tigana to Fulham.

Ali Benarbia then had two seasons in the number eight shirt before leaving for Bordeaux in 1998. He would later move to England to join Manchester City, helping them win promotion to the Premier League in 2002.

Fast forward to 2013, when Monaco splashed out on a number of big signings, and Joao Moutinho took the number. He kept the number in 2018, when Wolves came calling and offered him a Premier League opportunity.

The following year, Youri Tielemens began the season with the number. He left for Leicester in January 2019, initially on loan, and it was Adrien Silva who ended up taking his number the following summer after moving in the opposite direction.

Pogba isn’t the only new arrival at Monaco this summer. Adi Hutter’s side have also agreed a deal for Eric Dier, who will join on a free transfer when his Bayern Munich contract expires at the end of June.

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