Benjamin Mendy Makes Professional Football Return After Two-Year Absence
Former France defender Benjamin Mendy made his return to professional football on Sunday after a two year absence, coming off the bench during French side Lorient’s 2-2 draw with Monaco in Ligue 1. Mendy’s last game was for Manchester City in August 2021, shortly before he was charged with rape, and he has now been cleared of all charges and signed a two year contract with Lorient in July of this year.
## Benjamin Mendy’s Career So Far
Benjamin Mendy began his professional football career at Le Havre in 2010, where he made over 100 appearances for the club before signing for Marseille in 2013 for a fee of £3 million. He made over 50 appearances for Marseille before signing for Monaco in 2016 for a fee of £11 million, where he made over 50 appearances and won the Ligue 1 title in 2017 before signing for Manchester City for a fee of £52 million that same year.
Mendy was suspended by City after being charged with rape in August 2021, and left the club when his contract expired this summer, having been signed for £52m from Monaco in 2017. He was found not guilty of all charges in July and signed for Lorient shortly afterwards on a two year contract.
## Mendy’s Lorient Debut
Mendy made his debut for Lorient on Sunday as they drew 2-2 with Monaco in Ligue 1, coming off the bench two minutes after former Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun had given Monaco a 2-1 lead on 68 minutes with his first goal for his new club. Mendy then helped Lorient equalise deep into stoppage time through on loan Bournemouth midfielder Romain Faivre to secure a point for his new team.
It was an emotional return to the pitch for Mendy, who had not played professionally since August 2021 due to the charges against him and the subsequent suspension from Manchester City. He will now be looking to make up for lost time and help Lorient to success in the upcoming season as they look to build on their impressive start to the campaign and push for a place in the top half of the table.
## Conclusion
Benjamin Mendy has been through a difficult two years since his last professional appearance in August 2021, but he is now back on the pitch and looking to make an impact at Lorient after signing a two year contract with the club in July of this year. He made his debut on Sunday as his new team drew 2-2 with Monaco, and will now be looking to help them build on their impressive start to the season and push for a place in the top half of the table.
