Wissam Ben Yedder, once a celebrated striker for France’s national team and Ligue 1 club Monaco, has been embroiled in a series of legal battles that have cast a shadow over his professional career.
The 35-year-old former captain, known for scoring 118 goals in 201 matches for Monaco, was convicted on September 3, 2025, of psychological violence against his estranged wife.
The court ordered him to pay a 90,000-euro fine and an additional 60,000 euros, split evenly between damages to his wife and legal costs. Ben Yedder, absent from the verdict hearing, intends to appeal, according to his lawyer, Marie Roumiantseva, The couple is in the midst of a divorce.
This conviction follows another legal setback in November 2024, when Ben Yedder received a two-year suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a woman in September 2024.
The incident occurred after a night of heavy drinking, during which Ben Yedder invited the woman into his car and allegedly performed a sexual act in her presence.
Claiming memory loss due to alcohol, he entered a rehabilitation program post-incident. The woman’s immediate complaint led to his arrest that same night.
Ben Yedder’s troubles began earlier, with a 2023 Spanish court ruling that found him guilty of tax fraud during his 2016–2019 stint with Sevilla, resulting in a six-month suspended sentence.
Additionally, he and his brother Sabri face an ongoing investigation for the alleged rape of two women in 2023, charges they both deny.
Having started his career at Toulouse before moving to Sevilla and then Monaco, Ben Yedder also briefly played for Sepahan in Iran in 2024 but is currently without a club.
With three goals in 19 appearances for France, his on-field legacy is now overshadowed by these legal challenges. A trial related to the psychological violence case is set for December 2025, and the rape allegations remain under investigation, leaving Ben Yedder’s future uncertain both in and out of football.
