Benjamin Mendy, a 2018 World Cup winner with France, has sparked a wide wave of controversy by selling the official replica of the World Cup trophy he received after Les Bleus lifted the title in Russia.
The replica went under the hammer as part of the Global Football Auction Part 2, run by American auction house Goldin, who specialise in sports memorabilia. It fetched 62,000 dollars, around 54,000 euros.
Mendy hit back at his critics on Snapchat. "Is this my trophy or yours?" he said. "In the end it belongs to me, and I do with it as I please."
He then turned sarcastic, as reported by France's RMC : "And on top of that, it was taking up far too much space in the cupboard."
He wasn't finished there. Mendy even hinted at flogging more of his memorabilia. "And by the way, I still have more titles up for sale," he added.
The 2018 World Cup, sealed by victory over Croatia in the final, is just one line on a glittering CV. The defender was crowned French league champion with Monaco in 2017 before joining Manchester City in a 58 million euro deal that made him the most expensive defender in the world at the time.
Across his City spell between 2017 and 2023, Mendy collected eight trophies, four of them Premier League titles. He also won 10 caps for France and formed part of the 2018 World Cup-winning squad.
His career then hit a major setback in 2021, when he faced several charges of rape and attempted rape. In July 2023, the court cleared him of everything.
More than two years out of the game, between the case and his time in detention, left their mark. Mendy returned to action with France's Lorient before moving on to Switzerland's Zurich, then Poland's Pogon Szczecin, where he is under contract until June 2027.