A strange reward. Paul Pogba received the “comeback of the year” trophy this Sunday at the Globe Soccer Awards, a ceremony organized by the ECA (European Club Association) and the EFAA (European Association of Players’ Agents) aimed at rewarding the best players in the world, on the same model as the Ballon d’Or or Fifa’s “The Best” trophies.
Presented for the first time in the history of the ceremony created in 2010, the Award for Best Return was therefore awarded to Pogba despite poor playing time this season: 30 minutes in three Ligue 1 matches with AS Monaco.
A smooth return
After being suspended for 18 months following a positive test for DHEA (a testosterone derivative) and missing two years of competition in total, the 32-year-old midfielder had a smooth return to the Rock, between a phase of extensive reathletics and small relapses. It was finally on November 22 that “La Pioche” returned to the field, during a trip to Rennes during which he walked on the pitch for the last five minutes.
What’s next? Four minutes against PSG on November 29 and a 21-minute start against Brest on December 5. Discomforted in the tendon of one knee and affected in the left calf, the 2018 world champion had put a premature end to his year 2025, notably withdrawing from the shock against Marseille on December 14. Enough to convince the jury, made up of a panel of football professionals (journalists, agents, coaches, former players, etc.) and the public vote.
“A big thank you, Cristiano”
Once he received his trophy, Pogba did not fail to thank… Cristiano Ronaldo, present in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) for the ceremony. “Cristiano, you are there, you inspired us all as a football player. You did this for the next generation. Many thanks, Cristiano. »
The Globe Soccer Awards, founded by Italian businessmen Riccardo Silva and Tommaso Bendoni, also recognized two other French people: Ousmane Dembélé, crowned best player of the year and Désiré Doué, best emerging player. On the PSG side, the harvest was total, with 7 trophies in all: best club, best coach (Luis Enrique), best midfielder (Vitinha), best sports director (Luis Campos) and best president (Nasser al-Khelaïfi).
