Benjamin Mendy has become a football journeyman since leaving Manchester City. The Frenchman's final game for City came in 2021, the year his career was put on hold after being charged with rape and sexual assault.
After being remanded in custody between August 2021 and January 2022, he was released on bail before being cleared of rape and attempted rape charges. Mendy broke down in tears as the not guilty verdicts were delivered following a trial at Chester Crown Court in July 2023.
It came after he was cleared of six rapes at an earlier trial in January 2023. Mendy was released by City upon the expiry of his contract that year before winning a legal battle with the Premier League club, which saw him awarded the majority of his unpaid salary, around £ 11 million, at an employment tribunal in 2024.
City had suspended him without pay after he was charged. 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."
Days after his court case, Mendy kick-started his career with French side Lorient, signing a two-year contract. Following an injury-disrupted spell, he left after 18 months to join Swiss Super League side 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's been a season of struggle for Pogon so far as they are battling to avoid relegation 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 90mins 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 in @pogonszczecinsa."
That remains his most recent post. Prior to this weekend's action, the 31-year-old had made just eight appearances this season. He started the 2-0 home defeat to Legia Warsaw on April 6, only to be substituted at half-time.
