Vinícius, Depay and other stars are standing up for Mendy after his acquittal: Who will restore his career?

Benjamin Mendy is coming back to life. He has been acquitted of all charges and is leaving Manchester prison after almost three years. And football stars are standing up for him.

In the autumn of 2020, Benjamin Mendy was accused of seven rapes, whereupon he was taken into custody, where he has been held until now. Although things looked very bleak for him, the French footballer is finally free after three years.

He was found not guilty of six rape charges some time ago, but yesterday he had to face a retrial on one rape case and one attempted rape case.

However, after three hours, jurors at Chester Crown Court acquitted Mendy of both charges. The 28-year-old Frenchman, who faced years in prison, wept with happiness as he left the building.

He may have his life back, but his football career will never be restored. Manchester City released him a month ago, and his name is so tarnished that it is hard to get hold of him after three years without training.

Star representation

That is why the world’s football stars have taken his side. The first to speak out on social media was Memphis Depay, the Atlético Madrid striker.

“Benjamin Mendy. Let’s talk about it! All cases dismissed. So what do we do now? Who will help this brother to recover? Who will be responsible for the damage to his name? How will he get his career back? He invested many years to become a professional footballer….. What now?” wrote Depay.

“I never touched on the subject because I didn’t know all the details, but I talked to him once via FaceTime when he was behind bars and I clashed with him a few times on the pitch… I didn’t see any evil in him. We can’t accept that this is going to happen to us as athletes… Who’s going to stand up for us in a time of need, not when the damage is already done? Don’t turn your heads, people…! Who’s standing up for us athletes? Where’s the great cooperation when we need it? Let’s all pray for Benjamin to get his mental health, physical and spiritual strength back!” added the Dutch footballer.

Several other stars agreed with him in the comments. “Very true, bro,” wrote Jack Grealish. Antonio Rüdiger, Steven Bergwijn, Ivan Rakitic and Nuno Tavares also agreed.

Vinícius Junior also defended Mendy on Twitter. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through, Benjamin Mendy. You’ve lost two years of your career, but that’s the least of it… What about the psychological damage? I’m sure your life will never be the same. The culture of reputation destruction has made you another victim,” the Brazilian wrote.

“My question is what will be done to repair the damage? ” asks the Real Madrid winger. What is certain is that no one will give Mendy back two years of his career, the question is whether he will be given the space to return to football elsewhere.

Source: Instagram, Twitter