Benjamin Mendy Sells World Cup Trophy Replica

Benjamin Mendy has never been far from the spotlight. Now he has walked straight back into it by doing something almost unthinkable for many footballers: selling his World Cup winners’ trophy replica.

The 2018 champion with France put the official replica he received after Les Bleus’ triumph in Russia up for auction, and it did not go unnoticed. The piece went under the hammer in the “Global Football Auction Part 2”, organised by US memorabilia specialists Goldin, and fetched 62,000 dollars – around 54,000 euros – from a bidder keen to own a slice of modern French football history.

“Is this my trophy or yours?” he fired back on Snapchat once the backlash began. “In the end it belongs to me, and I do with it as I please.”

The defender then twisted the knife with a touch of sarcasm, quoted by France’s RMC: “And on top of that, it was taking up far too much space in the cupboard.”

He did not stop there. Mendy even hinted this might just be the start of a clear-out. “And by the way, I still have more titles up for sale,” he added, opening the door to the idea that more medals and mementos from a turbulent career could soon be on the market.

Honours and Achievements

For context, that cupboard is not exactly empty. The World Cup win in 2018, sealed against Croatia in the final in Moscow, is only one line on a packed honours list. Before that summer, Mendy had already been crowned Ligue 1 champion with Monaco in 2017, part of the thrilling young side that lit up Europe and earned him a blockbuster move.

Manchester City paid 58 million euros for him that same year, a fee that briefly made him the most expensive defender in the world. In England, he joined Pep Guardiola’s trophy machine and stacked up silverware at speed. Between 2017 and 2023, Mendy collected eight trophies with City, including four Premier League titles, even if injuries and competition for places often limited his time on the pitch.

On the international stage, he earned 10 caps for France and was part of Didier Deschamps’ 2018 squad that climbed to the top of the world. That replica now sitting in someone else’s display case is a symbol of that moment – but only a symbol. The medal, the memories, the line in the record books remain his.

Legal Troubles

Then the story turned dark. In 2021, Mendy’s career was abruptly derailed when he faced several charges of rape and attempted rape. He spent time in detention, spent even longer in limbo, and did not play competitive football for more than two years as the legal process dragged on. In July 2023, the court cleared him of all charges.

The verdict closed the case, but the damage to his career was obvious. Those lost seasons cannot be auctioned off or reclaimed.

Return to Football

Mendy has tried to rebuild. He returned to the pitch with Lorient in France, a quiet restart after the storm. From there he moved to FC Zurich in Switzerland, then on to Poland with Pogon Szczecin, where he is under contract until June 2027, far from the Premier League glare and the noise of a World Cup-winning France.

Now, with his replica trophy sold and more memorabilia potentially following, Mendy is drawing his own line between what that golden summer meant and what those objects represent. The World Cup remains on his CV. The question is what the rest of his career, and his legacy, will look like by the time that contract in Poland runs out.