Benjamin Mendy facts for kids
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Mendy with France U19 in 2013
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 July 1994 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Longjumeau, France | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Left-back | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Lorient | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| 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– | Lorient | 15 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 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) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Benjamin Mendy (born 17 July 1994) is a French professional footballer. He plays as a left-back for the French club Lorient.
Mendy started his football journey at Le Havre's youth academy. He began playing for their reserve team in 2010 and joined the first team a year later. In 2013, he moved to Ligue 1 club Marseille. After three seasons there, he joined Monaco. With Monaco, he helped them win the French national championship in the 2016–17 season.
In 2017, Mendy moved to the English club Manchester City. This transfer was a world record fee for a defender at the time. He quickly won the Premier League in his first season with Manchester City. After his contract ended in June 2023, Mendy signed with Ligue 1 club Lorient in July 2023.
Mendy first played for the senior France team in 2017. Before that, he played for various French youth teams, including the under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 squads. He was part of France's team that won the 2018 World Cup.
Contents
Benjamin Mendy's Club Career
Starting at Le Havre
Benjamin Mendy signed his first professional contract with Ligue 2 club Le Havre on 24 July 2011. This contract was for three years. He made his first professional appearance on 9 August 2011. This was in a Coupe de la Ligue match against Amiens.
Playing for Marseille
On 8 July 2013, Mendy joined Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille. The manager, Élie Baup, signed him after Marseille finished second in the league the previous season. This meant they qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League. Mendy played his first game for Marseille and in Ligue 1 on 11 August against Guingamp. He scored his first goal for the club on 24 September against Saint-Étienne.
Mendy played in all six of Marseille's group-stage matches in the Champions League. His European debut was on 1 October against Borussia Dortmund. However, Marseille lost all their group games and left the competition.
The next season, Mendy improved his game under manager Marcelo Bielsa. Mendy said Bielsa helped him regain his strength and aggressive playing style. He started 33 league games in the 2014–15 season and made 6 assists. Marseille then qualified for the Europa League. Mendy played for five different managers during his three seasons at the Stade Vélodrome. He played 101 competitive games for Marseille and made 14 assists.
Time at Monaco
On 22 June 2016, Monaco, another Ligue 1 club, announced they had signed Mendy. He signed a five-year contract. Mendy's first game for Monaco was on 27 July. This was in the Champions League third round against Turkish club Fenerbahçe.
On 4 February, Mendy helped Monaco score two goals. He crossed the ball to Valère Germain and Radamel Falcao in their 3–0 win over Nice. Mendy scored his first goal for Monaco in the Coupe de France on 1 March. This goal was against his former club, Marseille, in extra time. Monaco won the game 4–3, and Mendy also provided two assists. Monaco reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, with Mendy providing 4 assists.
Mendy was a very important player in Monaco's 2016–17 Ligue 1 championship season. He started 24 league games under manager Leonardo Jardim. Monaco scored 107 goals that season, the most in the league. Mendy and fellow full-back Djibril Sidibé were praised for their attacking play. On 16 May, Mendy was named to the 2017 UNFP Team of the Year. The next day, Monaco won the Ligue 1 title, their first in 17 seasons. This was Mendy's last game with the club.
Moving to Manchester City
On 24 July 2017, Premier League club Manchester City announced they had signed Mendy. He signed a six-year contract. The transfer fee was reported to be £52 million. This was a new record for a defender at the time.
On 23 September, Mendy got injured during a game against Crystal Palace. He hurt his right knee. The club later said he had torn a ligament in his knee. He had surgery in Barcelona on 29 September. Mendy returned to play on 22 April 2018. He came on as a substitute in a game against Swansea City. This appearance meant he had played enough games to receive a Premier League winners' medal.
In the 2018–19 season, Mendy played in 10 of City's first 12 Premier League games. He assisted five goals during this time. On 14 November 2018, Mendy had another surgery in Barcelona for a knee problem.
On 28 November 2020, Mendy scored his first goal for City. It was in a 5–0 home league win against Burnley. His last game for the club was on 15 August 2021. This was in a 1–0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester City released Mendy when his contract ended on 30 June 2023.
Joining Lorient
On 19 July 2023, Benjamin Mendy signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 club Lorient. This was almost two years after his last professional football match. He made his debut for Lorient on 17 September. He came on as a substitute in a 2–2 draw against Monaco. On 10 December, he scored his first goal since returning to football. This goal was in a 4–2 home loss to his former club, Marseille.
International Career for France
Youth Teams
Mendy played for several French youth international teams. He represented his country at the under-16 and under-17 levels. In 2011, he was part of the under-17 team. This team reached the quarter-finals at the 2011 U-17 World Cup.
Senior Team
Mendy was first called up to the senior France squad in March 2017. He played his first game on 25 March 2017 against Luxembourg. He played the whole game in a 3–1 win during 2018 World Cup qualification.
On 17 May 2018, he was chosen for the French squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He played 40 minutes as a substitute in a group game against Denmark. France went on to win the tournament, making Mendy a World Cup champion.
Career Statistics
Club
| 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 | |||||
| Career total | 242 | 6 | 22 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 308 | 8 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2017 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 0 | |
Honours and Achievements
Marseille
- Coupe de France runner-up: 2015–16
Monaco
- Ligue 1: 2016–17
- Coupe de la Ligue runner-up: 2016–17
Manchester City
- Premier League: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21
- EFL Cup: 2019–20, 2020–21
- FA Community Shield: 2018
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2020–21
France
Individual Awards
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2016–17
Special Recognition
See also
In Spanish: Benjamin Mendy para niños
