Benjamin Mendy Auctions World Cup Trophy Replica for $62,000
Benjamin Mendy has never been far from headlines. This time, it is not for a tackle, a court case or a transfer, but for a symbol: his 2018 World Cup winner’s trophy replica.
The former France international has put the official replica he received after Les Bleus’ triumph in Russia up for auction, and watched it leave his hands for 62,000 dollars – around 54,000 euros – in the Global Football Auction Part 2, run by American memorabilia specialists Goldin.
A small gold reminder of the biggest night of his career, sold to the highest bidder.
“My trophy or yours?”
The sale triggered a wave of outrage and disbelief among fans and commentators who see the World Cup as untouchable, something to be cherished, not cashed in.
Mendy did not retreat. He went straight to Snapchat.
“Is this my trophy or yours?” he snapped back. “In the end it belongs to me, and I do with it as I please.”
Then came the sarcasm, relayed by France’s RMC. The trophy, he joked, was hardly a sacred relic in his home.
“And on top of that, it was taking up far too much space in the cupboard.”
He pushed the point even further, hinting that this might just be the start.
“And by the way, I still have more titles up for sale,” he added, throwing another log on the fire of an already heated debate about players, memory and money.
From record fee to auction block
The object itself comes from a golden chapter. Mendy was part of the France squad that conquered the world in 2018, beating Croatia in the final in Moscow. For him, that World Cup is one line in a CV that once seemed destined to define a generation of full-backs.
Before Russia, he had already climbed to the summit of French football with Monaco, winning Ligue 1 in 2017 as part of a thrilling, fearless side that lit up Europe. That form earned him a 58 million euro move to Manchester City, a fee that made him the most expensive defender in the world at the time and underlined how highly the game rated his potential.
At City, the medals piled up. Between 2017 and 2023, Mendy collected eight trophies, including four Premier League titles, as Pep Guardiola’s team set new standards of domestic dominance. He earned 10 caps for France and, even as a squad player in Russia, became part of a select group: World Cup winners.
Those are the honours he now jokes could also find their way to an auction house catalogue.
A career derailed, a life restarted
The shine of that early success faded brutally in 2021. Mendy faced several charges of rape and attempted rape, and his football career stopped overnight. More than two years disappeared to legal battles and time in detention.
In July 2023, a court cleared him of all charges. Legally exonerated, he emerged to find a sport that had moved on without him and a reputation that may never fully recover.
The long absence left scars. Rhythm, fitness, trust – all had to be rebuilt. Mendy restarted his career away from the spotlight that once followed his every move, returning to the pitch with Lorient in France. From there, he moved to Zurich in Switzerland, then to Poland with Pogon Szczecin, where he is under contract until June 2027.
The World Cup replica that sat in his cupboard while he fought for his freedom now belongs to someone else. Mendy insists that is his choice, his right, his story to write.
The question now is simple: as he sheds the symbols of his past, how much of his future can he still reclaim on the pitch?
