Benjamin Mendy has been cleared of a string of sex attacks at his mansion.
The Manchester City footballer was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault but jurors at Chester Crown Court could not reach verdicts on one count of rape and one count of attempted rape following a six-month trial.
Mendy will face a retrial in the summer on the two outstanding charges, relating to an incident at his home in October 2018 and a separate incident at the same address in October 2020.
The 28-year-old footballer held his head in his hands as the verdicts were read out.
Mendy's co-accused Louis Saha Matturie, 41, has also been found not guilty of three charges.
The unanimous verdicts were delivered by the jury on Wednesday (11.01.23) but could not be reported until jurors concluded their deliberations on the remaining two counts.
Prosecutors had alleged that the French international was "a danger to women" but the case was derailed over the course of the trial as it emerged that the accusers had misled police and had inconsistent accounts.
After the jury was discharged, Matthew Conway, representing the prosecution, said that they would be seeking a retrial on the counts the jury could not reach verdicts on.
Conway said: "The prosecution has made a decision. We have made a decision today, which is to proceed on these counts in two separate trials and we seek today a provisional case management."
The retrial is set to begin on June 26 and is expected to last two to three weeks. Matturie will be tried separately with his trial initially scheduled for September.
In a statement on the verdict, Manchester City - who suspended Mendy following his arrest in August 2021 - said: "Manchester City FC notes the verdict from Chester Crown Court today, where a jury has found Benjamin Mendy not guilty of seven charges. The jury is hung on two charges and the trial is now over.
"Given there are open matters related to this case, the Club is not in a position to comment further at this time."
