Benjamin Mendy has completed his return to professional football after he was cleared of rape and other sexual allegations following a court battle.
The 29-year-old today played his first game since being found not guilty of all allegations following two crown court trials.
Days after the verdicts were announced in July, Mendy, once the world's most expensive defender after Manchester City paid £52 million to sign him, revealed he had agreed a deal with French side Lorient.
This afternoon he came off the bench to play in the Ligue 1 side's 2-2 draw against Monaco. It is more than two years since Mendy last played a professional game, in City's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in August 2021. READ MORE: 'Russell Brand made millions from our fling - I was a young woman dazzled by a celebrity' READ MORE: The M.E.N.'s top stories right now He was arrested that month and was held in prison for more than four months to await his trial, before being released on bail.