Mendy returns to training eye Saudi league or a club in Europe

Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has turned up to a local kick-about after being cleared of rape - in Manchester City's sky blue colours.  The French World Cup winner has wasted no time getting back on the pitch after he was cleared of rape and attempted rape by a jury at Chester crown court on Friday.

And on Sunday he turned up at the Pitts complex in Ardwick, Manchester, for a kickabout with strangers.

An onlooker said: "Mendy turned up and asked some lads if he could join in.

"They couldn’t believe it - getting to play against a Premier League star and a World Cup winner.

"He had a laugh and just enjoyed himself and was happy to shake everyone’s hand at the end and sign autographs."

City signed Mendy for £52 million from Monaco in 2017 on a £100,000-a-week six-year deal.

But they released him at the end of June, leaving him without a club.

The defender is hoping to restart his career in Europe but could move to Saudi Arabia to rebuild his finances.

He was forced to close down his company BM Sport Consulting after being chased by the taxman for unpaid debts and is fighting off bankruptcy.

On Friday he celebrated his freedom after a jury cleared him of being an alleged sexual predator by partying with pals in a nightclub.

He smiled for the camera just hours after a jury cleared him of attempting to rape a woman aged 29 as she showered at his home in October 2018.

He was also found not guilty of raping a 24-year-old woman in his bedroom at his £4.8m mansion in Prestbury, Cheshire, two years later.

A pal of Mendy’s posted a video of the French World Cup winner wearing a traditional thobe at his home before posting another video which showed the defender in a black T-shirt smiling as dance music played in the background.

Mendy - who kept fit at a gym in Wilmslow, Cheshire, during his trial - broke down in tears in the dock at Chester crown court as he was cleared and later said he was “delighted” with the not-guilty verdicts.

He last played for City in August 2021.

The footballer took a huge financial hit after being charged in 2021, with City stopping his salary the following month.

He had already pocketed £ 5 million but his fast-spending lifestyle quickly caught up with him.

He also lost heavily in sales of the six-bed mansion The Spinney in Prestbury, Cheshire, motors including a Lamborghini, and expensive watches.