Wish of Memphis Depay comes true: acquitted Benjamin Mendy returns to professional football | Foreign football

The trial came five months after the judge acquitted the former Manchester City player of six charges of rape and one of assault. Mendy has played for Manchester City since 2017. He has not played for the winner of the Champions League since the suspicions in August 2021. His contract with City expired at the end of June and was not renewed. Mendy was under contract with City for six years, which took him over from AS Monaco in 2017 for 57.5 million euros. He came to only 75 appearances in those six years, also because he missed his first season due to a cruciate ligament injury and then regularly had knee problems.

Mendy has always denied in the process that he ever forced a woman to have sex. He insisted that the women agreed.

Memphis Depay expressed his support for Benjamin Mendy on Twitter. “He has been acquitted of everything. So what do we do now? Who is going to help this brother heal? Who will be responsible for the damage in his name? How will he get his career back? Years of investment to become a professional football player and then this.. Now what!?”, wrote Memphis, who played with the Orange against France on September 9, 2018 (2-1 win for Mendy) when both players were on the field.

“I never discussed this topic because I didn’t know all the details, but I spoke to him once on FaceTime while he was behind bars and I met him on the field a few times. I saw no evil in the man. We cannot accept that this happens to us as athletes. Who will stand up for us in times of need, when the damage is already done? Don’t abandon him.”

Memphis’ wish therefore comes true, because it is the French FC Lorient that immediately adds the defender to the selection. The left back has signed a two-year contract with last season’s number 10. Mendy previously played for Le Havre, Olympique Marseille and AS Monaco.