Cristiano Ronaldo is ending the year in the best possible way. On Saturday, December 27, he scored two goals in Al-Nassr‘s 3-0 victory over Al-Akhdood, bringing his total to 956 goals. In addition, on Sunday he received the Best Player award at the Globe Soccer 2025 awards.
This is undoubtedly a source of inspiration for his fans, but also for his own teammates and rivals, such as Paul Pogba.
Pogba, grateful to CR7
In September 2023, the French midfielder received a four-year ban after testing positive for high levels of testosterone while playing for Juventus.
However, after appealing on the grounds that the substance was ingested due to a medical error, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced his ban to 18 months. After signing a contract with AS Monaco, on November 22, the Frenchman was able to return to play an official match after almost two years off the field. This led to him winning the Best Comeback Award during the awards ceremony.
In his speech, he expressed deep emotion and gratitude to those who supported him during this difficult time, including his wife and children who helped him “keep smiling“:
“It wasn’t easy… It was a very important moment for me, in my life, to see what really, the people that were really there for you, the people that really love you when you are outside the shiny moment,” said Paul.
“This award means a lot, for me and for my wife…we’ve gone through so much together. She helped me a lot, and my kids kept me smiling,” he added.
In addition, Pogba did not hesitate to dedicate a few words to his idol and former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo:
“Cristiano, you are here, you have inspired all of us as a soccer player. You did this for the next generation. Big thank you, Cristiano.”
Paul and CR7 shared a locker room during the Portuguese star’s second season at Manchester United (2021-22). Although they played 21 games together, they did not score any goals as a team.
Now playing for Monaco, Pogba has played three games with the club, totaling 30 minutes. However, there is no doubt that his inspiration comes from his former teammate on the Red Devils.
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