Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty in a retrial of one count of raping a woman and the attempted rape of another woman.

Mendy, 28, broke down in tears as the verdicts were given by the jury foreman at Chester Crown Court in northwest England. The French international was cleared of both charges, which were alleged to have taken place at his home in October 2018 and two years later.

Mendy, whose contract with City ended on July 1, had previously been cleared of similar charges earlier this year by a jury. He denied all the charges and said the incidents were consensual encounters.

Mendy's lawyer expressed his client's gratitude for the support he received throughout the ordeal and asked for privacy as he begins to rebuild his life. Throughout the three-week trial, Mendy displayed emotional distress upon hearing the verdict.

His head sunk onto his knees, and he wiped away tears with a tissue. After previously being cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, this retrial focused on one count of rape and one of attempted rape.

Mendy's co-accused, Louis Saha Matturie, was found not guilty in the earlier trial of three counts of rape relating to two teenagers.

Prosecutors had alleged that Mendy was a sexual predator who raped or sexually assaulted young women procured by Matturie at parties held at his luxury home near Manchester.

However, Mendy and Matturie consistently denied these allegations, stating that any sexual activity they engaged in with women was consensual. Mendy's legal team released a statement following the verdict, expressing their client's delight at being acquitted in both trials and thanking the jury for focusing on the evidence rather than the rumors and innuendo that surrounded the case.

Mendy, who joined Manchester City from AS Monaco in 2017 for a record fee, had his playing time limited by injuries and a loss of form.

The trials caused him to miss Manchester City's treble last season in the English Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League. Despite the allegations and subsequent trials, Mendy maintained his innocence throughout and expressed relief upon being found not guilty by the juries.