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Benjamin Mendy
U-19 EC-Qualifikation Austria vs. France 2013-06-10 (057) (cropped).jpg
Mendy with France U19 in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-07-17) 17 July 1994 (age 31)
Place of birth Longjumeau, France
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
FC Zürich
Number 3
Youth career
2000–2007 Palaiseau
2007–2011 Le Havre
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Le Havre II 12 (0)
2011–2013 Le Havre 57 (0)
2013 Marseille II 2 (0)
2013–2016 Marseille 81 (2)
2016–2017 Monaco 25 (0)
2017–2023 Manchester City 50 (2)
2023–2025 Lorient 15 (2)
2025 Zürich 7 (0)
International career
2009–2010 France U16 15 (1)
2010–2011 France U17 17 (1)
2011–2012 France U18 5 (1)
2012–2013 France U19 12 (0)
2014–2016 France U21 9 (0)
2017–2019 France 10 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
FIFA World Cup
Winner 2018
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:40, 12 April 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:56, 17 November 2019 (UTC)

Benjamin Mendy (born 17 July 1994) is a French professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Swiss Super League club Zürich. He started his career at Le Havre's youth academy before playing for several top clubs. Mendy won the French league title with Monaco and multiple Premier League titles with Manchester City. He also helped the French national team win the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Le Havre

Benjamin Mendy began his football journey at Le Havre's youth academy. He signed his first professional contract with the Ligue 2 club on 24 July 2011. Mendy made his first professional appearance on 9 August 2011 in a Coupe de la Ligue match.

Moving to Marseille

On 8 July 2013, Mendy joined Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille. He made his debut for Marseille and in Ligue 1 on 11 August against Guingamp. His first goal for the club came on 24 September against Saint-Étienne. Mendy also played in the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League group stage, making his European debut on 1 October.

He improved his game under manager Marcelo Bielsa in the following season. Mendy started 33 league games in the 2014–15 Ligue 1 season and provided 6 assists. During his three seasons at Marseille, he played 101 competitive matches and made 14 assists.

Success with Monaco

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Mendy playing for Monaco in 2016

On 22 June 2016, Mendy signed a five-year contract with Monaco, another Ligue 1 club. He debuted for Monaco in a Champions League qualifying match on 27 July. Mendy was a key player in Monaco's amazing 2016–17 Ligue 1 championship season. Monaco scored 107 goals that season, and Mendy was praised for his attacking play.

He also provided 4 assists in Monaco's run to the Champions League semi-finals. On 16 May, Mendy was named to the 2017 UNFP Team of the Year. Monaco won the Ligue 1 title on 17 May, their first in 17 seasons, which was Mendy's last game with the club.

Time at Manchester City

On 24 July 2017, Mendy joined Premier League club Manchester City on a six-year contract. The transfer fee was reported to be £52 million, which was a world record for a defender at the time. He won the Premier League in his first season, the 2017–18 campaign.

Mendy faced some injuries during his time at Manchester City. On 28 November 2020, he scored his first goal for City in a 5–0 home win against Burnley. His last match for the club was on 15 August 2021. Mendy was suspended by Manchester City in August 2021 due to legal issues. He did not play for nearly two years. Manchester City released Mendy in June 2023 when his contract ended.

Return to France with Lorient

On 19 July 2023, Mendy signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 club Lorient. This was his return to professional football after a long break. He made his debut for Lorient on 17 September in a 2–2 draw against Monaco. On 10 December, he scored his first goal since returning to football against his former club Marseille. Mendy played 15 matches for Lorient, scoring two goals and providing one assist. He left Lorient in February 2025.

Joining FC Zürich

On 11 February 2025, Mendy signed with FC Zürich in the Swiss Super League. He signed a contract until summer 2026. After five months, his contract was ended by mutual agreement. He played eight matches for the team.

International Career

Youth Teams

Mendy played for various French youth national teams. He represented France at the under-16 and under-17 levels. In 2011, he was part of the under-17 team that reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Senior National Team

Benjamin Mendy World Cup Trophy
Mendy holding the FIFA World Cup Trophy with Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, 2018

Mendy was first called up to the senior France squad in March 2017. He made his debut on 25 March 2017 in a 2018 World Cup qualification match against Luxembourg, which France won 3–1.

On 17 May 2018, he was selected for the French squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in one group stage game against Denmark. France went on to win the tournament, making Mendy a World Cup champion.

Personal Life

Faith

Benjamin Mendy is a Muslim. He has completed the Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Le Havre II 2010–11 CFA 10 0 10 0
2012–13 CFA 2 0 2 0
Total 12 0 12 0
Le Havre 2011–12 Ligue 2 29 0 2 0 1 0 32 0
2012–13 Ligue 2 28 0 3 0 1 0 32 0
Total 57 0 5 0 2 0 64 0
Marseille II 2013–14 CFA 2 2 0 2 0
Marseille 2013–14 Ligue 1 24 1 2 0 2 1 2 0 30 2
2014–15 Ligue 1 33 0 1 0 1 0 35 0
2015–16 Ligue 1 24 1 4 0 1 0 7 0 36 1
Total 81 2 7 0 4 1 9 0 101 3
Monaco 2016–17 Ligue 1 25 0 2 1 2 0 10 0 39 1
Manchester City 2017–18 Premier League 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 8 0
2018–19 Premier League 10 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 15 0
2019–20 Premier League 19 0 3 0 2 0 6 0 0 0 30 0
2020–21 Premier League 13 2 4 0 2 0 1 0 20 2
2021–22 Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
2022–23 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 50 2 8 0 5 0 10 0 2 0 75 2
Lorient 2023–24 Ligue 1 15 2 0 0 15 2
2024–25 Ligue 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 15 2 0 0 15 2
Zürich 2024–25 Swiss Super League 7 0 1 0 8 0
Career total 249 6 23 1 13 1 29 0 2 0 316 8

International Appearances

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
France 2017 4 0
2018 5 0
2019 1 0
Total 10 0

Honours and Awards

Marseille

Monaco

Manchester City

France

Individual Awards

  • UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2016–17

Special Recognition

See also

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