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Today's football fans no longer watch a game for 90 minutes straight. They have one eye on the game on TV and another on their phone, scrolling through their Twitter timeline that has a rich mixture of opinions, videos, memes and all-round banter.
Social media has become an integral part of the modern game and most footballers use their huge fan following to market their own brands and please their sponsors. Although it is a way to "connect" with their fans, the communication is always one-way 99.999% of the time thanks to the barrage of tweets directed at the players.
Most accounts are handled by PR firms which also explains the lack of a real connection between the fan and player. However, there are a few footballers who actually use Twitter like normal people do and have a blast doing so.
Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy is one such player. The Sky Blues' new summer signing has become quite popular following his Premier League debut and has amassed a huge fan following.
The right-back already has 372K followers and it could easily increase to 500K or even a million pretty soon if he keeps at it. Some of his tweets get thousands of retweets as he speaks his mind unlike many other players who bore their followers with the standard "Great win, three points in the bag" nonsense.
Here are 10 of Mendy's best tweets.
1) Direct hit!
Manchester City's recent 5-0 win over Liverpool had the entire squad in great spirits and Mendy had a blinder of a game, especially in the second half. And it didn't stop him from trolling the full-back Kyle Walker on the other side of the pitch who went down a bit softly after challenging Sadio Mane.
2) Boot to the face? It's all good.
In the same game, City goalkeeper Ederson collided with Sadio Mane whose boot made contact with his face in a 50/50 challenge. Mane was sent off while Ederson had to be stretchered off. However, his injury wasn't as serious as they first thought.
Pep Guardiola said after the game on Twitter: "Ederson does not have a broken bone. That is important. Maybe he will be more beautiful after that!"
3) Good morning, indeed!
He wasn't done yet after the Liverpool game. On Monday, he had another post for the City fans celebrating a massive win, ready to troll their colleagues at work.
4) Cross better than me and then we'll talk about my poor English
As you know, 23-year-old Mendy is from France. He has spent his entire career in France and this is the first time he has moved abroad. However, he has managed to learn English and can carry a conversation - as shown here when he was interveiwed by City's channel.
Although his English is understandably a little broken, he knows his performances on the pitch are what's important.
5) Feel the Rhythm! Feel the Rhyme!
Who remembers the famous movie Cool Runnings about a group of Jamaican athletes who compete in the Winter Olympic Games (represnting a country that sees absolutely no snow)?
The Jamaican bobsled athletes in that movie were first trained to resist the cold before actually training for the bobsled event.
Footballers have recently started using cryotherapy chambers where the cold temperatures allow them to train with much more intensity while also improving their recovery times.
Of course, he saw the similarities and even produced one of the famous dialogues in the movie.
6) He parks where he wants!
As with most people in a new country for the first time, they are bound to get some things wrong - like traffic rules. Mendy was no different as he ended up paying £60 for a parking ticket when he parked his £250,000 Ferrari in a spot meant for taxis.
Not to miss out on the opportunity, even Nando's got in on the act too.
7) Don't mess with the cops, Mendy!
A last-gasp win at Bournemouth saw Manchester City players celebrate near the corner flag as the away fans spilt on to the pitch. The police and stewards had a tough time separating the two groups and had to confront the players and shield them for their own safety.
The photographs from the incident went viral and Sergio Aguero was even accused of assaulting a steward before those charges were dropped. However, Mendy saw the funny side to it and posted this tweet tagging the cops - just days after his parking ticket.
8) When your photo goes more viral than the paparazzi
Most players do their best to avoid the press and the paparazzi. Not Mendy. He loves the attention!
9) Benjamin 'In The Know' Mendy
When Kylian Mbappe posted a photo with Leroy Sane, it had fans scratching their heads. Neither do they play for the same club nor do they play for the same country.
Conclusion: OMG, Sane is leaving Man City!
Not to miss out on transfer rumours, Mendy got into the act too.
10) Full-backs rarely score, mate!
Interacting with the fans thousands of miles away in less than 140 characters can make their day and Mendy is not one to disappoint. Just come up with a creative tweet and he might just respond to you.
