"Thank you for inspiring all of us" - Paul Pogba sends heartfelt message to Cristiano Ronaldo as he accepts Comeback Globe Soccer Award

France star Paul Pogba paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo after he was presented with the Best Comeback Globe Soccer Award. The AS Monaco midfielder thanked the Portuguese legend for being an inspiration to him and others.

The 2025 edition of the annual Globe Soccer Award took place on Sunday, December 28, in Dubai. The event, which honours footballers for their achievements in the year, saw a host of European stars, like Lamine Yamal, Vitinha, Raphinha, and Pogba, receive accolades.

The Frenchman won the Best Comeback Award, recognising his remarkable return to competitive football after almost a two-year absence due to a doping ban. In 2023, Pogba was slapped with an initial four-year ban after testing positive for a banned substance.

His ban was later reduced to 18 months on appeal, which made him eligible to return to action in early March. However, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner remained unattached until the summer when he signed a two-year deal with Ligue 1 outfit Monaco.

While accepting the award on the podium, Pogba paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo. He expressed his gratitude to the Al-Nassr star for being a source of inspiration, saying (as quoted by Al Nassr Zone on X):

"Cristiano you are here, thank you for inspiring all of us.”

Pogba and Ronaldo shared the dressing room at Manchester United during the 2021-22 season in the latter's second stint with the Red Devils. They played together on 21 occasions but recorded no joint-goal contributions.

So far, Pogba has made only three appearances for Monaco, playing a total of 30 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo wins Best Middle East Player at Globe Soccer Award

Cristiano Ronaldo was also an awardee at the 2025 Globe Soccer Award. The Portuguese legend was named the Best Middle East Player for the third year running.

Ronaldo has continued to strut his stuff in Saudi Arabia despite being in the twilight of his career. Whilst he is yet to win a major title with Al-Nassr, he has showcased his goalscoring proficiency, recording an impressive 104 goals and 22 assists in 118 games for the Knights of Najd.

Notably, he has won the SPL Golden Boot in the last two seasons. It is worth noting that Cristiano Ronaldo also holds the record for most Globe Soccer Award Best Player of the Year wins, collecting the award six times.

Edited by Okenna Okere