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Former Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy, who recently joined Ligue 1 side Lorient, made his footballing return in a 5-a-side game after being found not guilty of rape.
Mendy reportedly played in a five-a-side Powerleague game right before joining Lorient. The Frenchman, who won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, was recently not found guilty of alleged rape and sexual misconduct charges against him.
While several women accused Benjamin Mendy of wrongdoing, the court found all of those acts as consensual and Mendy was released after being arrested back in 2021.
The player has now joined Lorient and the club's manager Regis Le Bris said (via Daily Star):
"The recruitment team has worked on this for a long time. At one point, his name came up as a possibility, alongside others. We really wanted to find someone in this position, it’s not easy. We said ‘why not’ because of the situation of the player but, in the end, a deal was able to happen."
A spokesperson of the French club, meanwhile, said:
"The club denies that any negotiation with the player took place before the verdict."
It will be interesting to see how the 29-year-old left-back performs for his new club Lorient.
Memphis Depay showed his support for Benjamin Mendy
Benjamin Mendy's reputation and footballing career took a major hit with the allegations against him as the footballer lost some valuable time. Apart from that, he also grabbed the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
Hence, it was somewhat of irreversible damage done to the player at a personal and professional level. Memphis Depay has now shown his support for Mendy as he wrote on social media (via Depay's Instagram):
"Benjamin Mendy. All cases dismissed. So what are we doing now? Who is going to help this brother heal? Who’s going to be Responsable for the damage on his name? How he’s going to have he’s career back? Many years of investment to become a professional football player…. Now what!?"
Depay added:
"I’ve never touched on this subject because I didn’t know all the details, but I’ve spoken to him once true FaceTime while behind bars and faced him on the pitch a couple times.. I didn’t see any evil in the man. We can’t accept this to happen to us as athletes.. Who’s going to stand up for us in the time of need not when the damage is already done? Don’t turn your head people."
Benjamin Mendy, however, will have the chance to start a new chapter in his career with the move to Lorient. He has previously played for clubs like Olympique Marseille and AS Monaco in Ligue 1.
