Country: Senegal
Club: Chelsea
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 30
Mendy joined Chelsea of the Premier League for an alleged cost of £22 million. He was the first African goalie to play for the club’s senior side in his first season, and he kept sixteen Premier League clean sheets while making his way into the starting lineup right away. Mendy also preserved another clean sheet in the championship game to help Chelsea win their second championship, tying the record of nine for most clean sheets in a UEFA Champions League season. As the first African goalie in football history to win both trophies, he was also named UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and The Best FIFA Goalkeeper of 2021.
Mendy made his club debut on September 2020 against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup’s fourth-round match, which Chelsea lost 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, the goalkeeper for Italy who saved two penalties in the Euro 2020 championship, won the Yashin Award, with Mendy coming in second. However, Mendy did take home the FIFA Best Goalkeeper prize.
After Senegal won the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Mendy returned from international duty in February 2022 to compete in the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup, starting in the championship match as he captured his second championship in two weeks.
Playing style
Mendy has been characterized as a physically dominating goalie with significant defensive-third influence.
Mendy has the highest Ligue 1 save success rate of 75.3% during the 2019–20 campaign while playing for Rennes, averaging 2.5 saves per game. Mendy completed 51.4% of his passes longer than 40 yards in the same season as Ederson, who is well-known for his kickoff skills. He is a goalkeeper with a strong aerial game who frequently leaves his position to claim crosses. He is also highly loud, frequently directing the positioning of his defenders.
Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard praised his optimistic outlook and work ethic upon his arrival.