Following his recent acquittal in a sex offences trial in England, former Manchester City and France defender, Benjamin Mendy, has signed with French club Lorient on Wednesday.
"Lorient are happy to announce today the signing on a two-year deal of the French international left-back Benjamin Mendy," the Ligue 1 club said in a statement.
Mendy, aged 29, was cleared of the sex offences charges, bringing an end to a lengthy three-year court process. If convicted, he would have faced a significant prison sentence.
In January, Mendy had already been acquitted of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following a six-month trial. However, the jury in that trial was unable to reach a verdict on two additional counts, leading to the retrial that concluded last week.
Having vehemently denied all the charges against him, Mendy's contract with Manchester City, the English and European champions, expired at the end of June.
Lorient, who finished 10th in Ligue 1 last season, announced that Mendy would begin training with the team starting from Wednesday, following the successful completion of his medical examination.
This signing marks Mendy's return to competitive football after an absence of almost two years since his last match for Manchester City.
Last Friday, at Chester Crown Court in northwest England, the 2018 World Cup winner broke down after the not guilty verdicts on one count of rape and one of sexual assault were delivered.
Mendy, a record signing for a defender when he moved to Manchester City from French club Monaco in 2017, played 75 times for City.
But his playing time was limited by injuries and a loss of form.
The last of his 10 caps for France came in November 2019, after the defender won the World Cup with the national side in 2018 in Russia.
The trials meant that he missed Manchester City's treble last season of the English Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
(With AFP inputs)
