Leicester City right-back Danny Simpson has been found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and could face a jail sentence.
Simpson was found by PC Gareth Hughes with his hands around the throat of Stephanie Ward, the mother of his child, in the early hours of Dec. 29 at a house in Worsley, Manchester.
The 28-year-old, who pleaded not guilty, said: "It was an argument over nothing, about me messaging someone years ago. I never grabbed hold of her at any time.
"I was getting more and confused as I didn't know why she was saying that ['get off me']. The next thing I knew, I had been taken down."
The former Manchester United defender will be sentenced next month, after Manchester District Judge Alexandra Simmons rejected Simpson's account as "unworthy of belief."
Stephanie Ward, who gave an account to officers at the scene, later withdrew her statement and did not support the prosecution.
Simmons said: "This is a serious matter aggravated by the fact it was in a domestic setting. In my view, strangling or throttling someone is akin to using a weapon.
"All sentencing options, including custody, remain open."