Paul Pogba has partnered with the world’s first professional camel racing team.
The 32-year-old Monaco midfielder, formerly of Manchester United and Juventus, has joined Saudi Arabian team Al Haboob as an ambassador and shareholder.
Al Haboob, who compete in races across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates), are trying to establish the world’s first professional camel racing league.
Camel racing is a centuries-old sport across the Arabian Peninsula.
Several parties alongside Pogba have made a significant investment in the team.
Pogba said Al Haboob’s “ambition to elevate camel racing onto a global stage is something I truly connect with” and compared joining Al Haboob to “being invited into a new family”.
“My passion really started when I began spending more time in the Middle East over the last couple of years,” Pogba said. “Every time I came out here, I found myself more intrigued by the culture, the people, and the traditions. Camel racing kept popping up — in conversations, in local events, even in small things I’d notice when travelling around.
“So I started looking into it properly. The more I learned, the more interesting it became. There’s a whole world behind this sport — history, family ties, competition, pride.”
On Saudi’s investment in sport, Pogba added: “The region is becoming a major hub for global sport, and camel racing deserves to be part of that conversation, too.”
Pogba, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, made his Monaco debut against Rennes last month, his first game in more than two years. He joined the Ligue 1 club on a free transfer in June, signing a two-year contract with the Ligue 1 club after being a free agent since leaving Juventus in November 2024.