The journey to greatness
It was a long and bumpy road for Edouard Mendy to get where he is right now. He made his first steps in football with Le Havre AC’s junior team and after some very solid performances, his first professional contract was finally set in stone with Cherbourg where Mendy had the worst time in his career.
“I genuinely doubted whether I would carry on,” said Mendy in an interview. He was without a club for almost a year, no offers were coming, and he even registered for unemployment just to make ends meet.
Shortly after that an offer finally came and he was signed by Marseille as a backup for the main goalkeeper. It was obvious he wasn’t getting much playtime so the transfer to Reims was the best thing that ever happened to Edouard Mendy. That is where he finally showed his true talent and from 2016 to 2019, he was the main man for the team. The performances earned him a transfer to Rennes in 2019 where he made nine clean sheets in 24 league games, which helped the team rise to third place and play the qualifications for the UEFA Champions Lague.
The biggest transfer of his career
According to punditfeed, Edouard Mendy was in tears after receiving the news about the Chelsea interest in him. The news became a reality and it didn’t take long until the talented Mendy started performing for Chelsea where he made his debut on the 29th of September 2020 in the game against Tottenham Hotspur which Chelsea lost despite some amazing saves from Mendy.
Signs of greatness
Edouard Mendy’s first claim to greatness was probably on the 29th of May in 2021. That’s when he became the first African goalkeeper to play a final in the UEFA Champions League. The heavy favorites to win the game were the exceptional Manchester City but it is a great team performance led by the 29 years old Edouard Mendy that inspired Chelsea’s second UEFA Champions League triumph.
He was replaced by Kepa Arrizabalaga for the penalty shots against Villareal in the UEFA Super Cup but the truth is he was probably the best player on the pitch as he made some incredible saves that kept Chelsea alive until the penalty shoot-out.
Is Edouard Mendy the best goalkeeper in the world?
Manuel Neuer, David de Gea, Gianluigi Donnarumma – all great goalkeepers but it seems like there is something special about Edouard Mendy. Even though His 2020/2021 performance didn’t earn him the Yashin Award (he was second) he did get the FIFA Best Goalkeeper award and rightfully so.
Edouard Mendy proves time after time that he is not only the key goalkeeper for Chelsea but for his national team Senegal as well where he recently showed why people are considering him to be the best goalkeeper around. Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations and it was Edouard Mendy who was the key man saving two penalties and having a great overall performance.
We can’t see a more important goalkeeper in the world of football right now and we truly believe that Edouard Mendy is not only the best goalkeeper around but we have yet to see his best days with Chelsea and the Senegal national team.
