Florentine Pogba

Picture Credit: Twitter

After missing out on the ISL Trophy for 2 consecutive seasons, Mohun Bagan is looking to strengthen their squad. They shipped in astonishing 26 goals last term around and decided to keep the slate cleaner with some strong defensive additions. They already signed Australian centre-half Brendan Hamill and now added one more big-game player in their ranks in Florentin Pogba.

Elder brother of World Cup winner Paul Pogba, Florentin, played for French League 2 club FC Sochaux-Montbeliard last season and now has signed a two-year contract with ATK Mohun Bagan. The 31-year-old defender could feature in the AFC Cup semi-final and upcoming ISL season for one of the oldest and grandest footballing teams in India.

Florentin played Ligue 1 football as well with record 10-time champions, Saint Etienne, during the 2013 to 2018 seasons. The French-born player updated that he got the idea about Indian football from former French footballers Nicolas Anelka and Robert Pires who played in India before.

Excited about a new role, Florentin said, "I feel proud to become a Mariner. ATK Mohun Bagan is a legacy club with a massive fan following, one of the most prestigious clubs in Asia. I’m keen to play in front of 70,000 fans." 

Younger brother Paul Pogba, who plays for Manchester United in EPL, wished his brother luck for his maiden sojourn to India in an Instagram story. “I wish you all the best at your new club ATK Mohun Bagan,” read Paul's story along with a photo of Florentin.

1990-born Florentin grew up in France and played for France’s U-20 side too. He started with Ligue 2 club CS Sedan in 2010 and also played in top-tier Spanish team Celta Vigo before heading to Sedan. Before Florentin's move to India, he played two seasons at Sochaux, making 63 appearances.

The ATK Mohun Bagan team finished runners-up in the 2020-21 edition of ISL, while finished third in the league phase in the 2021-22 season.