Paul Pogba: Juventus Star Facetimes Mendy, Sends Message to Embattled Star After Not Guilty Verdict

Paul Pogba: Juventus Star Facetimes Mendy, Sends Message to Embattled Star After Not Guilty Verdict

Elijah Odetokun
updated at July 15, 2023 at 11:31 AM
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  • Benjamin Mendy was today clear of all charges of assault after a three-year legal battle
  • The former Manchester City defender was moved to tears after he was declared not guilty
  • Paul Pogba spoke to his compatriot and shared a screenshot of the video chat on Instagram

Paul Pogba became the first footballer to reach out to Benjamin Mendy after the defender was cleared of all charges of assault and declared not guilty.

Mendy endured a gruesome three-year trial since the case began in October 2020 after a 24-year-old woman alleged him of forceful intimacy at his Cheshire home.

He played his last game in 2021 after he was taken into custody and was last paid by Manchester City in September of the same year despite being under contract till June 2023.

Paul Pogba, Benjamin Mendy, France, Croatia, 2018 World Cup, Russia.
Paul Pogba and Benjamin Mendy dancing after France beat Croatia to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Photo by Robert Cianflone.
Source: Getty Images

According to Sky Sports, he became a free man today after a jury of six men and six women cleared him of the remaining two charges for which a retrial was ordered a month prior.

Pogba sends message to Mendy

Pogba was quick to speak to his compatriot and international teammate after the verdict was delivered at the Cheshire Crown Court today, where Mendy was left in tears according to Sun Sport.

The Juventus star reached out to his friend via Facetime and it was pleasing to see he was all smiles during the conversation. The former Manchester United midfielder shared the screenshot on Instagram with a powerful caption.

"Alhamdulillah, so happy for you bro. All the people that were talking bad about you. Now I wanna see them cleaning your name. Can't wait to see you on the pitch again," he wrote on Instagram.

It remains to be seen what the 28-year-old's next steps would be. He is a free agent after the expiration of his contract at Premier League champions Manchester City.

Mendy breaks silence

Sports Brief reported that Benjamin Mendy gave a one-word answer as he was leaving the court after he was given a not-guilty verdict today but refused to answer other questions.

The French defender said "Alhamdulillah" when asked for comments and refused to answer other questions and he emotionally moved away and battled to keep his tears.

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Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.