Paul Pogba shares image of a smiling Benjamin Mendy as Jack Grealish and Rio Ferdinand appear to agree with Instagram posts vindicating Man City star after he is cleared of raping woman in £4million mansion
Paul Pogba has shown his support for Benjamin Mendy after the former Manchester City defender was cleared of rape and attempted rape charges on Friday.
Mendy was acquitted by a Chester Crown Court jury after three hours of deliberation – then broke down in the dock before saying he was ‘delighted’ with the innocent verdicts.
He cried as he left the court after the verdicts, but was all smiles later in the day when he spoke to Pogba on facetime after his name was cleared.
The pair clearly share a close bond after representing the French national team together and winning the World Cup in 2018 as part of Didier Deschamps’ squad.
Pogba celebrated with Mendy as he put a fist in the air and smiled through the camera as his friend grinned as they called from different cars.
Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty of one rape and one attempted rape on Friday
Paul Pogba (bottom right) celebrated with the former Manchester City defender in a facetime call – and later posted a screenshot of the pair on Instagram to celebrate his freedom
He wept as he left court on Friday afternoon after being cleared of all charges against him
Former Manchester United midfielder Pogba posted a screenshot of the video exchange and began his update with the same single word Mendy uttered to reporters out of court, Al Hamdullilah.
The 30-year-old Juventus star showed his delight for his compatriot and also explained that he would like to see Mendy back on the pitch.
Mendy’s last professional appearance was in August 2021 and is now a free agent after his contract with the Premier League champions expired at the end of June.
Pogba stated online: “Al Hamdullilah. So happy for you bro.. all the people who spoke bad about you now i want to see them clear your name. Can’t wait to see you on the field again.’
Pogba (right) and Mendy (left) share a close bond after playing together for France
‘Alhamdulillah’ is an Arabic phrase meaning ‘Praise be to God’ and was used as both Pogba and Mendy are of the Islamic faith.
Former Barcelona star Samuel Umtiti showed his support for Mendy by addressing Pogba’s post, commenting on three separate heart emojis.
The post has been liked by more than half a million times on Instagram so far, with more stars continuing to break their previous silence as the process continues.
Mendy has now been acquitted of eight rapes, one attempted rape and one assault of seven women after two trials.
There were further online messages of support for Mendy, as Memphis Depay also posted a statement online in the aftermath of the hearing.
Depay – also formerly of Man United – criticized the handling of the situation and also called on football authorities to help Mendy restart his career after his Man City contract expired.
Memphis Depay posted a lengthy statement calling for support for Mendy following his court victory
Other players and former players such as Jack Grealish and Rio Ferdinand agreed with Depay
His scathing post was cleared by City and England star Jack Grealish and Rio Ferdinand as they expressed their views on the situation.
Depay posted alongside a single image of Mendy, “Let’s talk about it! All cases rejected. So what do we do now?
“Who is going to help this brother heal? Who will be responsible for the damage in his name? How will he get his career back? Years of investment to become a professional football player…. What now!?
“I never touched on this topic because I didn’t know all the details, but I spoke to him on FaceTime once when he was behind bars and I’ve met him on the field a few times. I saw no evil in the man. We cannot accept that this is happening to us as athletes.” he added.
“Who is going to stand up for us in times of need when the damage is already done? Don’t turn your head people..! Who defends us, athletes? Where are the big companies when we need them?
Depay (pictured) wants football bodies to help Mendy get his career back on track
“Let’s all pray for Benjamin to regain his mental health, physical and spiritual strength!”
Having a huge presence in City’s dressing room, Grealish responded to Depay by commenting on the post: ‘So true brother’ alongside three clapping emojis and a heart.
Ferdinand similarly posted, “Loud and clear” in the comments with a clapping emoji on either side.
Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira added: ‘True’, while Real Madrid and former Chelsea defender Antonio Rüdiger further added three clapping gestures out of respect for Depay.