Benjamin Mendy: a first week of trial under tension

IIt’s 9:45 a.m. local time, Monday, August 15 in the morning, when Benjamin Mendy, impeccable in his midnight blue suit, gets out of a white Mercedes. Faced with the ten British photographers present, he closes the door and crosses alone, without hurry, with a swaying gait, the twenty meters which separates him from the entrance to the Crown Court of Chester, in the east of England. He displays an apparent serenity, that of someone who has nothing to reproach himself for.

The 28-year-old footballer is a regular on the cameras. A year ago he was a Manchester City star. When he was recruited by the club in 2017, he was then the most expensive defender in history. And of course, world champion. His life changed forever on August 26, 2021 when he was placed in temporary detention…