Pep Guardiola says Benjamin Mendy is a ‘really good boy’ at trial

Guardiola was there to provide evidence

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola told a Court that Benjamin Mendy is a "really good boy" as he made an appearance at the Frenchman's rape trial as a defence witness. Guardiola revealed that the Manchester City left back - who is currently suspended by the club - had asked him to give evidence about his character before Chester Crown Court. The Man City boss' appearance lasted no longer than 10 minutes via a video call with Eleanor Laws KC, for the defence acknowledging that Guardiola had chosen to do so despite being aware of the "serious" allegations against the footballer. Mendy is accused of seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault. He denies the charges. His manager explained that he wanted to sign the 28-year-old back in 2017 because he was "an exceptional player." Guardiola was then asked to describe Mendy's character, to which he said: "He is a really good boy, he is really generous," as well as saying that "he is a funny, funny boy." While Guardiola appeared to consider Mendy in high regards, the Spaniard explained that he found out that the full back had breached lockdown rules in 2021 by hosting a party. "I realised it happened, someone at the club advised me of that - I wasn’t happy, we talked about that and he accepted he did not do the right thing," he said. Mendy is alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman at a party at his home on January 2. The trial remains ongoing. Related links:

• Benjamin Mendy found not guilty of one count of rape
• Benjamin Mendy was a ‘predator’ who ‘engineered situations’ to rape women, court told
• Mendy told rape victim ‘don’t worry, it’s small’, court hears