Benjamin Mendy on three Manchester City team-mates who lent him money during trial

Benjamin Mendy received financial support from the likes of Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling as he sought to pay his legal fees throughout his trial after Manchester City stopped his wages

Ex- Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy says he was financially supported by Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez once the club stopped paying him after he was charged with rape and sexual assault.

An employment tribunal has been told how the Frenchman's £500,000 per month wage was withheld by the club after he was charged in 2021. Mendy has since been cleared of the charges and brought employment tribunal proceedings against the Premier League champions, claiming for "unauthorised deductions" from wages.

His contract also stated that he would also receive a £900,000 bonus if he featured in 60 per cent of matches, a £1million bonus if the team qualified for the Champions League as well as an annual £1.2m payment to his image rights company.

The player is now at French Ligue 2 club Lorient and court documents said that Mendy "very quickly ran out of money" and had to sell his Cheshire property to cover his legal fees, bills and child support payments once he stopped receiving his wages.

"I struggled to pay my child support, I felt awful," the footballer said in a witness statement. Mendy added that his agent, Meissa N'diaye, paid towards his legal fees with several of his team-mates offering "financial support".

He said: " Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez all lent me money to help me try and pay my legal fees and support my family."

Mendy made it known to the tribunal that he and his agent had been assured by City's then chief football operating officer Omar Berrada that he would receive his unpaid wages once he had been cleared of the charges.

The Frenchman sent Berrada a WhatsApp message in November 2022 as he wanted confirmation in writing that the wages would be paid, the tribunal heard. However Berrada did not reply to the message and denied ever having made such an assurance.

After he was acquitted Mendy sent an email to Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the chief executive of City, but received no response. The Premier League team continued paying Mendy following his first arrest in November 2020, but argued they did not have to carry on doing so because his bail conditions and FA suspension meant he was not able to fulfil his duties as a player.

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