Benjamin Mendy has carved out a nomadic footballing existence since leaving Manchester City. His last appearance for City came in 2021, the year his career was effectively halted after he was charged with rape and sexual assault. Following a period on remand between August 2021 and January 2022, he was released on bail before ultimately being cleared of rape and attempted rape charges.
Mendy was overcome with emotion as the not guilty verdicts were delivered following a trial at Chester Crown Court in July 2023. This came after he had been acquitted of six rapes at an earlier trial in January 2023. Mendy was released by City upon the expiry of his contract that year, before securing a legal victory against the Premier League giants, which saw him awarded the bulk of his withheld wages, approximately £11million, at an employment tribunal in 2024.
City had suspended him without pay following the charges being brought. In a statement, Mendy said: “I am delighted with the decision and sincerely hope that the club will now do the honourable thing and pay the outstanding amounts, as well as the other amounts promised to me under the contract, without further delay, so I can finally put this difficult part of my life behind me.”
Within days of his court case concluding, Mendy reignited his career with French outfit Lorient, putting pen to paper on a two-year deal.
Following an injury-plagued stint, he departed after 18 months to link up with Swiss Super League club FC Zurich.
He spent even less time in Switzerland, with his contract being terminated by mutual consent after just five months. Mendy’s next move took him to Poland with Pogon Szczecin, where he eventually made his debut in November last year.
It has been a torrid campaign for Pogon thus far, as the club fights desperately to avoid the drop from the 18-team top flight.
Addressing the team’s struggles and his own limited playing time, Mendy made a rare Instagram post in December.
He wrote: “Not the place we want to be at this point of the season but there’s still time to work and make it better. On a personal note happy to complete my first 90 minutes in a long time.
“It will only get better from there [fingers crossed emoji]. Thank you so much for the amazing support and warm welcome I’ve always felt here.”
That remains his most recent post. Heading into this weekend’s fixtures, the 31-year-old had managed just eight appearances this season.
He featured from the start in the 2-0 home defeat to Legia Warsaw on April 6, only to be hauled off at the interval.