BENJAMIN Mendy, acquitted in a sex offences trial in England in July, played his first game in two years on Sunday when he came on as a substitute for Lorient against Monaco in Ligue 1.
The 29-year-old France international and former Manchester City player was introduced 70 minutes into his new club’s 2-2 draw with the Ligue 1 leaders.
Lorient were trailing 2-1 when Mendy came on, and it was the defender’s cross which led to Romain Faivre’s equalising goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time in Brittany.
His last competitive game before Sunday was back in August 2021 in the Premier League for City against Tottenham Hotspur.
“With Benjamin’s crossing ability we know he will be a really important player for us,” said the Lorient coach, Regis Le Bris.
Mendy had been building up his fitness since his acquittal two months ago which ended a three-year court process.
The former Marseille and Monaco left-back signed for Lorient on a two-year deal a week after his trial ended.
The player, who would have faced a lengthy jail term if convicted, had previously been cleared in January of six counts of rape and one of sexual assault following a six-month trial.
Jurors in that trial had been unable to reach a verdict on two other counts, triggering the retrial.
Mendy, whose contract with English and European champions City expired at the end of June, denied all the charges against him.
Mendy has 10 international caps and was part of the France squad that won the 2018 World Cup.
Monaco, whose goals came from Aleksandr Golovin and Folarin Balogun, are a point clear at the top of the table despite the draw.
