Five Per Cent At Best” – Pogba Written Off for France 2026 as Leboeuf Jokes Zidane Has Same Chance

Paul Pogba has been bluntly told he has next to no hope of making France’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, despite getting his career back up and running at Monaco. Former World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf didn’t hold back, rating Pogba’s chances at just “five per cent” and joking that Zinedine Zidane may as well dust off his boots too.

Pogba, now 32, is back playing in Ligue 1 after a long and messy spell out of the game. Didier Deschamps has always been one of his biggest fans, trusting him through France’s golden run that ended with World Cup glory in Russia in 2018. Pogba even scored in the final as Les Bleus beat Croatia 4-2 in Moscow. Different times.

Since then, it’s been a rough road. His big-money return to Manchester United in 2016 never really caught fire, despite flashes of quality. He left Old Trafford again in 2022 and went back to Juventus on a free, but injuries wrecked that comeback and he managed just 12 appearances for the Bianconeri.

Things got worse in September 2023 when Pogba failed a doping test, earning a four-year ban that looked set to finish his career at the top level. That suspension was later cut to 18 months on appeal, but Juve had already moved on and released him. Pogba spent months training alone, waiting for another chance.

That chance came at Monaco, where he finally returned to competitive football on November 22, 2025. The comeback was welcomed by fans, but not everyone is convinced it puts him back in the international picture.

Speaking to GOAL, Leboeuf was ruthless. The former Chelsea defender said Pogba has only a “five per cent” chance of forcing his way back into Deschamps’ plans, adding with a laugh that bringing Zidane back would be just as likely. It was meant half-joking, but the message was clear.

France are stacked in midfield and Deschamps has younger legs to choose from as he looks ahead to 2026. Pogba’s experience still counts for something, but time is not on his side. For now, his focus is Monaco and getting regular minutes again — the World Cup dream looks a long shot, even if he has been there and done it before.